


To make strong friends

by Melubar



Series: The Starks Endure [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: A slightly stronger North but not by much, Allyria Dayne is a Stark, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ashara's daughter lives, Brotherly Love, Lyarra Stark pointed out the obvious, Multi, Ned is the father, What-If, but I'm incredibly biased towards the Starks, for 2 generations, not everything is fixed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-23 07:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 42,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13782486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melubar/pseuds/Melubar
Summary: "What if Rickard had tried to strengthen the North from within before focusing on her southern alliances?"-Whimsical that's how I would describe the Targaryens at their best, and at their worse? I don't even want to find the words to describe them, I met King Aerys at the war and the only impresion he left me with was a poor excuse of a man. I didn't want to leave the fate of the North in the hand of such a family. So I made all this plans, I thought I was ready to make them a reality, to make the North Stronger than it had been since the Targaryens came and started leeching us dry, taking our gold for their coffers, and our soldiers for their wars. I made my plans and prepared ourselves for the future, an alliance that would make us untouchable, and then your mother pointed out the obvious, you don't make strong friends by appearing weak, before anything else I needed to strengthen the North from within-





	1. The Good, Dutiful Son

#### 279 A.A.C.

**Ned**

–Eddard! – He turned around to see an auburn haired girl walking towards him, she was beautiful and she would look even more so with a less strained smile – I hate to bother you brother but have you seen Brandon? Lord Rickard said he would have no duties today, I was hoping we could spend the day together but I can’t seem to find him.

He hated lying to her, she was such a nice girl, but Benjen had intercepted him on the gates _–He got a letter, I don’t know what it was about but he just stood up and left, I don’t know where, and I’ve looked, I swear but I can’t find him–_ he wasn’t going to tell on his brother – I’m sorry my Lady I was out ridding with Robert and Elbert since early in the morning, I have no idea where he could possibly be- her face crumbled for a second but only a second, before he could even blink the smile returned to her face, a fake one.

–Of course, silly me, thank you anyway brother- as she turned around and left Ned couldn't help but wonder, how would it feel like? loving someone who doesn’t love you back? He felt bad for her, he really did, but what could he do? Tell Brandon to be nicer? He was always nice to her he just didn’t love her, he wished he would, not so much for Catelyn’s sake but for Bran’s.

He let out a sigh and made his way on the opposite direction. As he walked through the castle grounds memories of his life before the Eyrie struck him, back then "home" wasn't even a concept, it just _was_ , but then he left and everything changed, home became something to hold on to, something that was simply part of him, the stone walls were his bones and skin, the water running thru them his blood, the whole thing was alive and he carried it with him. He made a turn and arrived at the entrance of the crypts, his friends found the place incredibly creepy, he lighted a torch and walked in.

It was a dark, cold place, but it also felt like home, for both him and Bran. He didn’t even have to go too deep, Brandon was right in front of their mother’s grave. it was almost unsettling how after all these years he still knew his brother so well.

–Remember the day you left for the Eyrie? – Brandon asked suddenly, if he was surprised at all by his presence he hid it rather well

–Of course I do, I came to hide in here, so they couldn’t take me away, but you found me almost immediately, told me I needed to do my duty, for the North, for our family and for you as well, making allies in the south was too important – and it was, they all knew it, but he was 8 and scared, he didn’t want to leave his home, what if he didn’t like the Eyre? What if he didn’t like the Baratheon boy or Lord Arryn’s nephew? What if his family forgot about him while he was gone?

–I didn’t actually want you to go, I wanted you by my side, always, but I wanted to be a good son, make things easy for our parents so I said those things I didn’t really care about, and I let you go – There was something wrong with his voice, rough and airless, Ned wondered if he had he been screaming?

–Well, you did make me promise not to like any of my new friends more than you – he commented lightheartedly

–Did you keep your promise? – asked Brandon, easy and careless but Ned wasn’t fooled

–No one could ever replace you brother – all he got for answer was a chuckle, but some of the tension left Brandon’s shoulders.

–I heard you got a letter – just a small probe, nothing too demanding, Bran could answer or he could not he wasn't going to push it. He was rewarded with a crumpled piece of parchment and he finally understood. His heart broke for his brother.

–Bran…

–Willam will marry her at the end of the year – he recited cheerfully, his smile so forced it hurt Ned’s face – his father arranged it

–Bran…

–It’s a good match, for both of them –He just went on, as if he hadn’t been interrupted.

–Bran…

–and they have a lot in common, they’ll get along, they might even grow to love each other...

–BRANDON! – That finally shut him up, but as soon as that sad attempt at a smile was gone Ned almost wished it back. His brother looked exhausted but mostly he just looked miserable.

Ned hadn’t even heard of Babrey until the day of the wedding, moved forward several years by father’s request. He had definitely heard about her and worried, and Brandon, despite his temper and wild personality, was a good, dutiful son.

–I just want them to be happy – he said, almost desperately, as if begging him to believe him – I do

– I believe you

He couldn’t make Brandon love her, but he wished he could, not so much for Catelyn’s sake but for Bran’s.

–Maybe you could be happy with Catelyn, in time

–She’s really southern – He mumbled with a grimace and Ned couldn’t help but think that he sounded like a child.

–That doesn’t really have to be a bad thing – in response to that he got a scoff that was half laugh

–I guess you would know, with all your southern friends and what not – He was definitely acting like a child, but at least he was smiling, for real this time

–Give it time Bran, It’d get better – There was silence for a moment and then a sigh

– Well, you were always the smart one so I’ll take your word for it – It wasn’t all fixed, you couldn’t fix people’s lives with just one conversation, but he had nothing else to give but words and the hope that one day they might become reality.

–You do that

They stood there for a while, looking at their mother's grave, sometimes Brandon needed a distraction from his troubles but this wasn’t one of those times so they stayed silent, like the dead surrounding them.

–You know, Father used Catelyn’s dowry to finish rebuilding the Frost ruins, it’s all done now, so I guess we can’t call them that anymore eh?

–Yes, Father told me when I arrived, he said we could go see it in a week or so, are you coming?

–Of course, I could use some days away from Winterfell – the “away from her” went unsaid – And you haven't been there in a really long time, all the small villages in the valley became one big town, it expanded almost all the way into the harbour so Father decide to turn it into a proper port, you even have a few ships now, how about that?

–I better learn to sail then – they shared a wolfish smile at that. A whole new adventure they could embark on, like before he had to leave home to be fostered, not with his Brother at Barrowtown but somewhere else entirely. It was naught but a distraction from a girl he didn’t have and another he didn’t want but Ned didn’t know what else to offer, he was only five and ten and had never been in love, or infatuated, or in heat, or whatever it was his brother was in, Brandon tended to be rather fickle with his feeling for anyone he wasn’t related to, but he wasn’t going to question him or judge, Brandon could feel whatever he was feeling, they would weather the storm together.

–Come on then, you haven't really talked with Robert or Elbert, you'd like them I think, you can all get drunk and talk about me – as the laughter came the air felt lighter

–I love doing both of those things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok let me start by saying english is not my first language so if you find any grammar mistakes or if my writing of phrasing don't make sense please let me know so I can fix it


	2. The claws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, english is not my first language so if you find any grammar mistakes or if my writing of phrasing don't make sense please let me know so I can fix it

#### 279 A.A.C.

**Ned**

Ned could see Brandon at the gates saying farewell to his bright new wife, he was kind and charming… and impersonal, he promised to bring her a gift or several, apologized again for leaving so soon after the wedding

_–It’s only been 3 weeks Bran– she had commented over dinner a couple days before departure, “Bran hadn’t told her then” thought Ned_

_–I know and I am sorry, but Ned will leave for the Eyrie in a few weeks and the journey to Sea Dragon Point takes a long time, we have to do it now– neither had brought up the fact that Brandon didn’t need to go with him, there was no need. Unwilling to make a scene in front of so many guests she let it go but, Ned guessed, that was probably the idea._

–Come on Brandon, it’s time to go – shouted Robert, desperate to get moving

With one short kiss and a soft friendly goodbye he turned around and mounted his horse. They still had to wait a little bit longer for Father to finish talking to their siblings, Catelyn was new, and a southerner, she couldn’t be left in charge just yet so the responsibility fell on Lyanna and Benjen, both too young to for it but too proud to let that stop them.

– You’re going to love it there Ned, I haven’t seen the castle yet but I’ve seen the town, it looks almost like a city now, there is a huge glass garden right at the middle and several smaller ones dotting the streets, they’re not as productive as the one at Winterfell but then again we have the hot springs, we don’t need to worry about irrigation of warming up the place in winter, they have to burn peat for that, there are a lot of peatlands nearby, and there are villages all throughout your land, you’ll have a good income from their taxes, they are doing rather well – He was practically jumping in his saddle, childlike excitement shining in his eyes

–Why so many? There’s only one here and this place is colossal – He had almost forgotten they had company but to be fair, Robert and Elbert weren’t known for being quiet, were they still hangover? Thinking about it, he hadn’t seen them sober in days “they must have really liked the Northern spirits”

–Yeah but there is a lot of fertile lands all around us, all you can grow at Sea Dragon Point are pines, Ironwood and hard grass, good for cattle but I doubt you’d like to eat it – Came Brandon’s cheerful answer, he was in a very good mood.

–Why would you make a settlement in such a horrid place then? – Robert asked grumpily, and yeah he was most certainly hangover

–White sand – he said louder than it was strictly necessary, they shouldn’t have gotten drunk the night before such a long trip, they deserved it, and it was also kind of fun watching them wince – Half of the cost side is made of cliffs but the other half is made of white sand, the perfect material to make good quality glass, really cheap quality glass.

–And with cheap quality glass we can make cheap quality glass gardens and with glass gardens we can grow pretty much anything anywhere – well not quite, there was more to it than just the glass and Brandon knew it, like black soil, water and extra heating during winter, but that was the general idea, he was about to say as much when…

–I think I’m going to throw uppppgggghhhh– And that was the end of the conversation

–You’re a disgrace Elbert!

 

* * *

 

 

It took them almost two weeks to arrive at their destination. A place called “The Claws” by the locals, the utmost southern part of Sea Dragon Point, right at the border with The Rills.

The last time Ned saw the place he had been 6 and the town as well. Though calling it a town back then would’ve been too much of a stretch, it was more like a small chain of villages from the valley to the cost. At the beach the people had chosen to salvage what they could from the ruins of a town that had once stood strong several lifetimes ago, by the valley people had chosen to start building from scratch but in the grasslands right between the two, people had only to repair the old stone structures that had survived the test of time. The result had been a mismatched series of completely different looking places every few miles, from materials to designs, nothing looked the same.

Now what he was seeing was a perfectly cohesive mix of wood and stone structures towering above them, but he hadn’t seen them at first, he hadn’t seen anything at first except for the walls, and wasn’t that a surprise? There were walls! Tall and proud and made of stone.

He heard Robert whistle by his side – Looks like you’d do rather well for yourself Neddy – he had to agree, this was so much more than he had expected.

–Come now boys – Lord Rickard called – let’s make it to the castle before it goes dark.

 

* * *

 

 

The Castle was a sight, built on top of the valley, looking over its subjects, a ring of six pointy black stone towers encircling a keep, and really thick walls surrounding it all, which was the reason it survived so long after being abandoned. It was much smaller than Winterfell but he had come to understand over the years that Winterfell was unusually massive, it was colder than Winterfell too but he didn’t mind the cold.

“This is to be my home”, he thought as he inspected his new room, it didn’t have much, but he figured it will fill in time, like his room at the Eyrie, like his room at Winterfell.

– What’s taking you so long Ned? I’m going to teach you boys how to sail

–Please! Do you even know how to sail Robert?

–Mind your words pup I’m a Baratheon of Storm’s End! My home is right next to the sea!

– Yeah, and you have spent half your life up in the mountains with the Arryns, do you guys even know how to swim?

–You’re one to talk, did you learn to swim in a sea of grass?

–No, I did it in a pool in the Godswood and all the rivers nearby, but just for that comment I ain't saving you if you drown

Maybe he shouldn’t have insisted on them becoming friends, they were hard enough to deal with on their own.

–Neeeeeddd! Are you reacquainting yourself with your hand in there what? Leeeeeeet’s gooooo

–You better be decent Ned we’re coming in!

–And we’ll drag you out naked if we have to.

Maybe he could escape through the window? It wasn’t that high up.

 


	3. Night Talks

**279 A.A.C.**

**Ned**

It was night already, he had missed dinner but he needed a shower and a nap after the day he had. He wondered where the kitchens were “I should have explored the place before going to the port, did I walk through this hall already?”

– You seem lost my son – He almost jumped at the sound but managed to keep his composure

–I seem to have misplaced the kitchens – he spoke with the same calm even tone his father used, Bran often make fun of him for trying to imitate the man whenever he was near but he didn’t care, people respected Father, he wanted to be like him.

–Follow me then, we haven’t had much time to talk– he followed, they weren’t that far from the kitchens after all, a few turns and down a set of stairs

The servants were already in bed but Lord Rickard found some fruits and bread for him –How was your sailing adventure?

–Not quite as enlightening as I hoped it would be, to be honest

–I see, did you at least learn anything?

–Of course, I learned Elbert doesn’t know how to swim

–That seems like useful knowledge

–I’m sure Brandon agrees, said now we know to drown him if we ever need to get rid of him in secret

–Well at least his thinking ahead – It was hard to tell whether or not his father was joking but he smiled anyway.

Ned finish his meal and stood, he was about to wish Lord Rickard good night when he spoke again –How is Brandon doing? – And well, he could be referring to anything really, how was he doing after their misfortuned adventure? How was he doing after such a long trip? How was he doing in general? But he had a feeling that was not what he meant – Come now son, did you really think I hadn’t noticed? I know my children and I know Brandon is far from happy with his wife, he might try to hide it from me but I know, what I don’t know is how bad it is – he turned to look at him then, silver eyes sharp and searching – how bad is it?

Was it really a surprise he knew? Hiding things from him had been next to impossible as children “seems like that hasn’t changed”. He sat back down and thought it over, he wanted to give a proper answer

– I don’t really know whether or not he actually loved her but ultimately I really don’t think it matters, more than a lover she was his friend and he knew they could be happy together, instead he married a girl he has seemly nothing in common with, a girl who talks differently and does things differently, even worship the seven differently than the Manderlys do. And now Barbey is marrying his best friend, and he’s not mad at her or Willam or you, he’s just frustrated, they get to have the life he wanted while he’s stuck with a girl he doesn’t think he’ll ever like – there was silence after his little speech, not necessary uncomfortable but heavy nonetheless

–Do you like her? – The man asked, as composed as ever

–I do, she’s nice and she’s trying her best

–Tell your brother you like her then, he’ll come around

–I don’t think is that easy– and to his absolute surprise the ever stoic Lord of Winterfell snorted

–On the contrary my son, it is that easy, in your brother’s eyes you can do no wrong, if you tell him you like her he’d go out of his way to find a reason to like her too, it might not be enough to make him love her but at least he’ll stop moping – Ned didn’t know what to say to that so he changed the subject

–Do you think mother would’ve like her? – There was a pause in which his father looked at the distance with a frown

–She might have… or she might have not, it’s hard to tell, she was such an unpredictable woman you could never really tell with her – Ned couldn’t help but smile at that, it was true, she was so random at times.

–I told Brandon once, but I don’t think I ever told you, it’s because of her that this place exist at all – he didn’t know that

–How come?

–well it started with the war – he stood from his chair and made his way to a wine barrel – we almost never bother with southern quarrels, sending only token forces whenever we could get away with it, King Jaenerys knew that and forced our hand, threatening to raise taxes if we didn’t help with the war – He returned to the table with two glasses of wine – Your grandfather was displeased but I took it as an opportunity. In their attempt keep up the illusion that nothing had changed after we lost our crown the Northern Lords decided to simply pretend nothing had, we all ignored the south and their nonsense. They might think that was the best road to follow but it wasn’t, we were been ruled by complete strangers, they didn’t know anything about us, about our ways, what was best for our people, I wanted to change that. It was my mission to integrate the North into the Seven Kingdoms, though it’d be a lie to say I wasn’t eager to fight, find some glory– He took a long drink of wine and Ned did too – that was my first disappointment, there is no glory in war son, only destruction and dead, remember that if nothing else

–I will – He answer dutifully, always the obedient son

–I did made a few friends despite the unhappy circumstances

–Jon Arryn and Steffon Baratheon – He knew that part of the story, it was the reason he and Robert had been fostered at the Eyrie.

–Yes those two, through Jon I met Hoster Tully, through Steffon I met Tywin Lannister and the Targaryens, they were my second disappointment – He finished his wine

–Were they not what you expected?

–They were everything I expected, that was the problem really, I wanted them to prove me wrong but no such luck – he stood again and walked towards the entrance, it took Ned a moment to realize he was supposed to follow. He rushed after him but didn’t run, he did not want to look like a child chasing after him.

 – I heard a lady calling them beautiful at a feast, otherworldly even – he snorted again, it was still so incredibly bizarre – _whimsical_ that's how I would describe them, whimsical at their best, and at their worse? I don't even want to find the words to describe them at their worse, I met King Aerys at the war and the only impression he left me with was a poor excuse of a man – they walked through a beautifully carved door that let them outside, “this is the Godswood” Ned realized. His Father kept on walking until they reached the heart tree.

– I didn't want to leave the fate of the North in the hand of such a family. So I made all this plans, I thought I was ready to make them a reality, to make the North Stronger than it had been since the Targaryens came and started leeching us dry, taking our gold for their coffers, and our soldiers for their wars. I made my plans and prepared ourselves for the future, an alliance that would make us untouchable, I even went out of my way to get a southern Maester to help me with the task – he smiled, amused– and then your mother pointed out the obvious _“You don't make strong friends by appearing weak, they’ll eat you alive_ ”, she was right of course, before anything else I needed to strengthen the North from within – They sat before the wierwood, it was an old thing with a carved face that looked almost childlike under the moonlight, there were no hot springs or cold pools and most of the other trees were pines instead of sentinels, but it reminded him of home somehow

–So I focused on the North, I researched and traveled and tried so hard to find a way to bring some gold, I was in my solar looking at a map when your mother had enough of it _“Has the war made you stupid my love?”_ she said to me _“Gold is pretty but when winter comes and no one wants to part with what little they have of their harvest, are you going to eat gold? It’s not the Lannister you should envy but the Tyrells, they can feed an army of 50,000 in the middle of winter without any strain that is wealth”_ and like the young idiot I was I told her what I considered to be the obvious answer, this is the North, even the land suited for agriculture can only yield so much with such cold climate, even the few things that thrive in the cold can only handle so much, there is no way to fight nature, she didn’t even bother with an answer she just took a roll of maps and slapped me with it, and then she took my hand and led me to the glass gardens. They weren’t expensive to keep even without a hot spring, but it took a fortune to build them, _“Let’s change that”_ she said, and we did – he was looking at the distance again, lost in his memories of a woman long dead, he looked impassive but to Ned it seemed like a great sadness had taken over his heart – she didn’t get to see this place flourish, I wish she were here, if only to tell me whether or not she likes it, it was so hard to tell with her.

– Well I know she liked pointy towers so we have that at least – that got him a laugh. It was a surprise, he had always taken it upon himself to lighten his brother’s sorrows with random comments like that but it had never occurred to him that the same technique would also work on his Lord Father.

– Am I to marry a southerner too Father?

– I haven’t decided yet, I may need to marry you to a Northerner to keep the Lords happy but they’ve been very complaisant lately, Lyanna would have to though, I need someone on the south

– Do you have anyone in mind? – He asked but felt like he already knew the answer

– One of your friends maybe, they are quite fond of you they’ll treat her well if for no other reason than the fact that she is your sister.

– I think Lord Arryn already arranged a betrothal for Elbert, he hasn’t told us yet but he brought a nice of his to live with us at the Eyrie, Robert doesn’t have any arrangements but Lord Steffon is still in Essos, you’ll have to wait for him to return. He’s a bit wild though

–Well, so is Brandon but do you think that would be a problem?

–I’m not sure, like you say, Robert would never mistreat _my sister_ but I don’t know how well they’d get along, she’s always fighting with Bran

–I guess we’ll have to wait and see, by the way, where is your brother?

–He went to a tavern with Robert

Lord Rickard just rolled his eyes and let out a long suffering sigh – those two, they better don’t break the town.


	4. Moths to the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a time jump, we're at Harrenhal now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter it's just a little bit eh... don't know the word provocative maybe?... at one point but there is nothing explicit

**281 A.A.C.**

**Brandon**

They were in the Riverlands, making their way south on the king’s road, Elbert Arryn and his new, and very pregnant wife, Dyna Winewood, had joined them at the crossroad with the Highroad, they had had a few delays but they were still on time, Harrenhal was just a day away.

Lyanna was inside the carriage with Catelyn and Dyna, much to her sister’s consternation, “I bet she’d rather be riding with us”. She liked Cat well enough but at times she seemed ready to throw her into a well – _She’s always trying to mother me_ – she would say and she wasn’t wrong, it seemed to be just a quality so deeply engraved in Catelyn’s nature that it didn’t matter how many times he told her to tone it down she just couldn’t help herself, “Sorry sister, but better you than me”.

His relationship with Catelyn was much better now than it used to be but it was still a challenge, she was too set in her ways and although at times he was willing to bend a little for the sake of her comfort (and his own peace of mind) there were things he would simply not allow, she was no longer a southern lady, she was a Stark and she needed to accept that.

He had built her a Sept when she asked if she could have one, but it was a northern Sept, with red eyed, white stone statues garnished with weirwood leaves, she didn’t say anything but he knew she was a bit disappointed, even the Septon seemed to make her uncomfortable, an affable man send to them by Lord Manderly. He wasn’t well versed in the faith of the seven so he couldn’t really tell what the problem was, but even if he knew he would not intervene, she needed to come to terms with things on her own.

He turned to look at his brother - Are you excited to see Robert?

\- Excited yes, but also worried, he’s not a big fan of writing letters so I really don’t know how he’s been

It had already been two years since Robert’s parents died in a shipwreck, he had returned to the Valle a few weeks after their funeral and according to Ned he had been a bit unhinged, drinking too much and whoring too much, until he ended with a bastard, he seemed to calm down a little afterwards but once Elbert married his cousin Dyna both Ned and Robert returned home, neither of them had seen Robert since.

–Time cures everything, I’m sure his fine – came a childish voice behind them

–Since when are you so wise Ben?

–I’ve always been wise you just never listen to me

–Don’t take it personal Ben, he never listens to anyone

–He listens to you

–Only when he wants to

He really hoped Robert was doing better now, mostly because he was a friend but also because this would be his first meeting with Lyanna since their betrothal had been officially announced. She had been rather displeased about it, which Brandon considered thoroughly ridiculous, last time Robert had come to Winterfell she had followed him around like a lost puppy, “She’s just being contrary for the sake of it”.

 ……………

 Their arrival at Harrenhal had been a lot more grand and official than they had wished it would be. “These southerners and their fanfare”, he thought “They have to make a spectacle out of everything”

– Very well, we've been given quarters in the third tower on the northeast wing, we only have 5 sleeping rooms so Lyanna, you get one to yourself, Cat and I share, Ned and Benjen too, the guards will have the big one, our servants get the last one, any questions?

–Which one is the third tower? –Asked Benjen

–Where are the godswoods? –then Lyanna

–Can we have supper now? – Benjen again

–Can we go explore? – and Lyanna

A dozen more questions followed and he signed, already exhausted – Just count from the right to the left, it’s the less melted one, the godswoods are that way, you can both go explore after supper and yes, we are having it now – “I need some wine”

**……………**

 

**Ashara**

She had been so eager to move to King’s Landing, what could be more exciting than that? “Innocence really is the privilege of the ignorant” that horrid place could only be described as all the seven hells combined.

Just the thought of leaving had sent her into a frenzy of excitement, away from the King and his madness, away from Varys and his secrets, away from the smell of shit that impregnated the air, and for a tournament no less “Should’ve known better by now, nothing ever goes as planned”. The tournament was marvelous, with people from all over the seven kingdoms _including the King_. She was completely baffled by his presence but wasn’t going to let him ruin this for her.

That night she ate and drank and when the music started she danced with whoever she pleased, and one that didn’t please her at all. She didn’t even know why Lord Connington wanted a dance, they all knew the only person he ever wanted to be near to was his silver prince. She soon got her answer though, he wanted to bitch about Elia not been good enough for Rhaegar – Shame you weren’t born a woman my Lord, I’m sure you would have done so much better a job – With that she changed partners, she had many to pick from.  

  _– Men flock to you like moths to the flame –_ Elia had told her on several occasions, it wasn’t a lie or an exaggeration, they really did, why would they not? She was beautiful and men only ever care about beautiful things, especially here north of the Dornish Marches, Beautiful was the only thing they let you be “Oh but don’t you dare use that to your advantage because then you are a shameless whore and whores don’t deserve respect, utterly ridiculous!”, but she wasn’t going to trouble herself with that kind of nonsense, not for living in their lands would she bow to their ways, if she ever played by their rules it would be because she wanted to, because it was convenient to her.

She kept on dancing and was planning on dancing the whole night, but of course, nothing ever goes as planned.

It started as a favour for the beautifully wild man that asked her to dance with her brother, how could she say no to such a vision? Shame he was married.

Said brother was sweet, kind and proper… and completely unremarkable, but once the dance was over she followed him to his table, she had no interest in him but she did have her eyes on the Baratheon boy. Loud, wild and with the kind of face that made her insides melt, she wanted to have some fun with him.

It was then that he got her curious.

It wasn’t so much about him but what she saw around him, Robert Baratheon, Brandon Stark, both handsome, charming and wild, they had already caught her eye before she was even made aware of his existence, other men would take their cues from them, trying to imitate them, desperate to get their attention, their approval.

And them? They were doing the same, constantly competing for him, a stern looking boy that barely ever talked, he wasn’t good looking enough or charismatic enough to warrant so much devotion, such competitiveness for his favour, he was nothing, no one, an unremarkable man, and still, wild things flocked to him like moths to the fire, she wanted to know why so she forgot about Robert and focused on him.

She didn’t think it would be that hard to figure it out, but it was, those two wouldn’t share him among themselves let along her, and they weren’t the only ones she had to wrestle with in this ridiculous game, there were also his younger siblings, Elbert Arryn, some man from The Neck, “it shouldn’t be this hard” she had thought, he was so polite and attentive and obviously taken with her, and despite that she had to fight for every side glance, every little smile, every word, it was madness! and she wouldn’t put up with it.

She ended up sitting at their table for the rest of the night. It's not as if she didn't have fun, she did, they were a merry bunch, but that was not the point.

She took him aside first chance she got and led him to her chambers, he was unsure, making all sort of silly excuses, she would have none of it, she finally had him all to herself and he wasn’t getting away.

“Am I his first?” she had wondered, he was too nervous to have done this before but not clueless enough not to have some experience. Ultimately it didn’t matter, “I’ll be the only one that counts” she wasn’t the moth, she was the fire, he didn’t get to make her feel like she was the one that needed to prove herself, SHE WAS FIRE! And he would come to her and burn for her.

……………..

The warm sunlight hit her eyelids and not even her cascade of black hair could cover her eyes, she had to wake up. To her right, she felt movement, her conquest from the night before, not exactly what she usually went for but she felt extremely satisfied with herself “This one had been deceptively difficult”

As he opened his eyes she could see the panic growing along with his awareness, “NO… just no”, he will not regret her, she was the fire, everything he ever did for her or to her would always be worth it no matter the consequences, she would not let him regret anything.

Before he could even speak she busied his mouth with a passioned kiss, she climbed on his lap, unashamed of their nudity, and rubbed against him until his eyes turned black with desire and his cock hardened – well someone seems to be on a good mood, could it be because of me?

“I will be the fire”

……………..

By the time they got dressed he had gotten over his little moral dilemma, he even invited her to sit with him and his family during the jousts. She didn’t know why she agreed, she had already gotten what she wanted from him but she never questioned her own desires much less denied them so she just went with it.

She sent a servant with a message for Elia and then followed Eddard to the terraces assigned for the Starks, right next to the Stormlander’s section. The joust had already started, as a matter of fact, they had been going for a while now “We really took our time”

Lord Stark and Lord Baratheon looked almost gleeful at their presence, the younger brother gave them a funny look but say nothing otherwise, Lady Catelyn looked wary.

He introduced her again and they all did their proper curtsies.

– She would be sitting with us for today

– Any _friend_ of yours is always welcome brother – Lord Brandon sounded almost magnanimous as he said that but he looked like he was about to set himself on fire with that crazed smile he had on his face, Eddard was blushing, Lord Robert was laughing, Lady Catelyn looked offended and the little one looked confused.  

Eddard coughed and looked around, suddenly he frowned

– Where is Lyanna? – To that little Benjen leaned over his oldest brother and whispered something in Eddard’s ear. Abruptly he went pale and turned towards Lord Brandon.

– I just found out, too late to stop it now – they shared a look and nodded in silent agreement

– What is it? – He looked at her, perfectly composed once again

– Nothing really, it appears my sister decided to go on a little adventure, she won’t be watching the joust with us.

……………..

The joust went as they usually go, her brother did splendidly, others not so much. There was a mystery knight that seemed to have a bone to pick with three very unimportant knights, she wouldn’t have cared if not for the fact that the three Stark brothers looked terribly on edge, they didn’t relax until the knight vanished, “Interesting”.

The tournament went on and as the sun made his tour around the sky it became clearer and clearer that whatever respite Lord Stark and Baratheon had given her this morning was no longer in effect, once more she was brawling for the attention of a boy that had already given himself to her. It was almost funny, she had never felt threatened by a woman before but now she felt threatened by two men, one of them his own brother at that, it was ridiculous and so very frustrating that she ended up snapping at him for his inattention.

He serenely apologized and offered to take her on a walk through the Godswood, completely undisturbed by her outburst.

She felt so very childish and stupid, the fact that he was younger than her only made it more embarrassing, “why am I acting like this?”, she apologized immediately, ashamed of her poor behaviour. He took the apology with grace and led her to the Godswood nonetheless.

– I’ve had to deal with Brandon’s temper tantrums my whole life, and even that’s nothing compared to Robert, don’t fret about it – he said it in good humour but she felt chided. “Temper tantrums! That’s what I’m doing, throwing temper tantrums”.

She resolved herself to stop acting like a brat for a moment and made an effort to start a proper conversation.

– Tell me about the North – And so he told her. They spend the rest of the day exchanging stories, about their homes, about their families, about their friends, she hadn’t even noticed but they had missed the night’s feast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was goint to give you the ages of the characters but then I remembered that I'm gonna be jumping years so I'll just give you the Birthdays, you guys do the math  
> Brandon (261)  
> Ned (263)  
> Lyanna (267)  
> Benjen (269)  
> Ashara Dayne (261)  
> Robert Baratheon (263)  
> Elbert Arryn (261)  
> Dyna Winewood (261) <\-- She's kind of an OC and kind of not, in cannon Alys Arryn (Jon's sister) married Elis Winewood and they had way to many daughters, none of them have names so I just made up one.


	5. Wild Things

**281 A.A.C.**

 

**Brandon**

It was the seventh day of the tournament already and Ashara had spent most of her time with them, she was crude and unapologetic, laughing at all of Robert’s vulgar jokes, making some of her own, Catelyn had been scandalized but Benjen and Lyanna both seemed to like her, so did Ned’s friends, even Dyna had welcomed her into their party (no surprise there, she was friends with Robert, you learn to accept a lot of inappropriateness with that one).

He liked her too to be honest but for the fact that Catelyn was constantly complaining to him about her, apparently Dornish girls had a bit of a reputation and Ashara was definitively living up to it, not that he minded but Catelyn obviously did, it was making him wish she and Ned would just go make merry on their own, away from Tully blue eyes.

The joust will finally end today and he was glad, the first three days were exciting but everything after that was a chore “there are still three more days of events” he reminded himself, exhausted. He wanted to go home already, the heat was uncomfortable, the royal family was creepy and the southerners kept making _oh so_ _discreet_ comments about savages and dornish whores.

“Honestly the only good thing about this trip was Howland and Ashara” if only Catelyn would stop complaining about the girl. But she wasn’t his only problem, Lyanna kept on disappearing at the most random of times. He was willing to let the whole affair with the mystery knight go, after all Howland deserved some justice, but she had come here to spend time with Robert not run off to gods knew where every chance she got, she was going to marry Robert there was no way around it, she should at least start at the right place and find some common ground with him “If she could only get it through her pretty little head”.

– Come now everyone, let’s get this over with – Only three more days and they could all go home, that was the plan, a simple one, he should have listened to Ashara, hadn’t she been saying it for days? Things never quite go as planned.

 …………………

 

–THAT BASTARD! – He bellowed enraged –HOW DARE HE DO THAT?!

–Brandon my love please calm down

– Calm down? I’ll calm down after I hang his mangled body from one of this fucking ugly towers!

–Don’t be stupid Bran he’s the heir to the Iron throne, you’re not doing shit – A new voice chimed in

–And you, where the fuck were you?!

– With Robert – answered Ned evenly– You both have a temper but at least you have the good sense to rage in the privacy of your quarters with only family as witness, now you are going to sit down and take a breath, you calling out for blood is only going to make this worse– His brother looked directly at him, there was no challenge in his eyes just cold, sharp certainty. He took a deep breath “He’s right damn it” –I think is best if we just leave

–NO! – They all turned to look at Lyanna – We didn’t do anything wrong, why do we need to leave?

–What reality are you living in Lya?! – Snapped Benjen out of all people – he very publicly passed over his own wife for you, I’m the youngest one here and even I can tell this looks bad.

He stood up before anyone could argue anything else – Ned is right, pack your things, we are leaving, and get rid of that stupid crown Lyanna before I throw it into the fire! Catelyn go help them pack you’re faster at it, Ben go tell the servants I’ll tell the guards. –They all scattered around to do as he commanded – Howland you can stay if you want, there is no obligation to…

–Is all right my Lord, I’ll go with you.

– Very well – he was about to leave the room when Howland spoke again

–I could pack your things Ned, if you want to go say goodbye

“Right, Ashara”

– It’s fine Howland, I’ll do it

–You go say goodbye brother, we need to send our apologies to the Princess anyway, who better for the task than you?

**Ashara**

She was pacing around the room like a caged animal, somewhere to her left she could hear Oberyn spitting out an endless stream of obscenities, he was livid, _she_ was livid, how dare that poor excuse of a man to humiliate her Princess like this?! The King was an unsalvageable madman and even he had the good sense to keep his mistresses behind closed doors! To pass over Elia before the eyes of all the seven Kingdoms?! Was he stupid or was he really just that detached from reality?! It wouldn’t even be that surprising, he always seemed to live in his own fanciful world, she had often forgiven his peculiarities, as annoying as they were, for they were harmless enough, what was an absentminded Prince compared to a King that got aroused burning people alive, not this time though. Not only did he disgraced his wife in public, and with her all of Dorne, but he also put the Starks on the spot, “And that poor girl, she is going to be marked as a whore by all those judgemental morons!”

– Oberyn, my sweet brother, Ashara dear you both need to calm down – came Elia’s smooth voice, she too was angry, she could tell just by looking, but unlike Ashara she actually knew how to reign in her temper.

Oberyn kept on hissing profanities now with wine in his hand, Elia walked to him and took the cup from his fingers, a drunk Red Viper was the last thing they needed right now, she knew that, really she did, but a part of her just wanted to egged him on and set him loose on Rhaegar.

– He shouldn’t have done that – she said instead

–No he shouldn’t, but he did, there is no point crying over it now.

–There would be a point if he’s the one crying – mumbled a voice from the side

– Stop it Oberyn, if we lash out it would only make things worse for us, the King didn’t choose house Martell because he favours us, we can’t afford to anger him, no one would protect us from his wrath – She said _no one_ but what she meant was _Rhaegar_ , “he won’t protect us and he won’t protect her” she felt the vile climbing up her throat, unshed tears burning in her eyes, Gods how she hated them, both the father and the son.

Oberyn finally sat down, anger still fresh but more contained now, Ashara wanted to scream but she sat down too, they stayed there for what seemed like forever, neither of them talking, maybe too aware they’d start fuming again the moment they opened their mouths or at least she was. Elia called for supper, and the conversation was officially over.

It wasn’t that much later that a handmaiden came announcing a visitor, Oberyn was already gone “maybe looking for a whorehouse to find some release, maybe looking for a fight for the same reason”.

– Who is the visitor?

–Lord Eddard Stark my Princess – She answered nervously, unsure if his presence would cause insult.

–Let him in and bring him to me – Elis turned her eyes to her, questioning

–He probably came to apologize for the scene – that sounded like something Ned would do.

She wasn’t wrong of course, he apologized for making a scene, for the unseemly exit his party made, for any discomfort she might have felt, he didn’t apologize for Rhaegar’s actions though, he would not take the fault for him, nor would he let his sister do so.

– I appreciate the sentiment my Lord and I thank you for it but there is no need for you to apologize, my husband put you all in a very uncomfortable position, if anyone needs to apologize is me – “her because Rhaegar never would” thought Ashara bitterly.

– Thank you, your highness, you’re very kind but there is nothing for you to apologize either, this was not your doing – “And the one that did it would go unpunished, uncensored and unashamed”.

The conversation went on for a little bit longer, they exchanged pleasantries and courtesies, both were very polite, very kind. It was sort of funny really, calm, collected Elia, always patient, always thoughtful, just like Ned, she should be the kind of person for him to surround himself with, but she just couldn’t see it, “Wild things belong with Ned”.

– Princess, before I go, and if is not too much to ask, would it be possible for me to have a moment alone with Lady Ashara – She didn’t answer right away but gave her instead a brief side glance followed by a smile, it was innocent enough really, except that it wasn’t.

– Of course my Lord, take your time – And then she was gone, not too far, just the room adjacent, the one separated by a curtain instead of a door, where she could easily hear everything they said. Ashara almost scoffed but that’d had been unbecoming, instead she just smiled and focused on Ned.

– I came to say goodbye – And the smile left her face

–What? – She always prided herself on her eloquence

– We’re leaving, Robert and his party are leaving too, it’s for the best really, he and my brother are on a mood, best to put some distance, besides we don’t want any more scandal, unnecessary drama just isn’t our thing – He looked sorrowful, his tone regretful.

She hadn’t known him for long and objectively she knew she shouldn't be so upset about this, what he said made sense of course and she had no right to complain. She wished she could feel indifferent or at the very least angry but all she could feel was sad – When are you leaving?

– Tonight – _tonight,_ her heart was beating way too fast, _tonight,_ her lungs were burning, _tonight_ , not tomorrow not three days from now but tonight, “Would it make any difference? Would it feel any different to let him go in three days than it does now?”

– I’m going with you – she blurted out without thinking, Ned looked confused. “What are you doing?, take your words back” – You said you wanted to show me the North – “that’s enough, back off, you’re going to far” – You said I would always be welcome – “let it go, it doesn’t matter, he doesn’t matter, just an unremarkable man” – Well then, here’s our chance – “Just shut up already” – take me with you – Ned was speechless, his face frozen in shock, “Of course he’s shocked, I’m talking nonsense, surely he can see that”, but then his eyes focused on her face, searching, for what? She could not tell nor could she tell whether or not he found it but suddenly he looked thoughtful, “Is he actually thinking about it?” if he was she needed to tell him not to, that there was nothing to think over, that she wasn’t serious, that she was being ridiculous, she said none of those things, she said nothing.

Ned still looked pensive but there was something almost wishful to it now, was it excitement? Was it hope? He took a step towards her – Are you sure? – He asked. _Are you sure?!_ Of course she was, she was sure this was a terrible idea, she didn’t know if she would even like the North, or if his family would be all right with any of this, if _her_ family would be all right with any of this but…

_Wild things flock to him like moths to the fire_

She hadn’t wanted to be his moth, she had wanted to be his fire, that wouldn’t happen if he left now because then she wouldn’t have the chance to… to what? Change their roles? Is that what this was about? Did she even know what this was about anymore? She had wanted to burn him out just to prove that she could but now…

–Take me with you

Now he was leaving and she was about to burn herself just so she could follow.

He was measuring her words, trying to be his prudent, sensible self, but she could tell now, as clear as crystalline water, he wasn’t going to leave her behind. – What about the princess, aren’t you her lady in waiting?

– She has my leave –Said Elia, her head peeking through the curtain, as if such behaviour was not completely out of place for a Princess, she too looked most baffled by her request (more like a demand) but as always she was supportive of her friend.

Ashara felt immediately guilty, how could she even conceive to abandon her princess in the middle of this mess? And for a man she literally just met? She needed to be by her side, she needed to support her. She was about to tell her that when Elia frowned.

 – I’m Elia Nymeros Martell Princess of Dorne I am no fragile little flower Ash, I can handle this – Is not that she didn’t believe she could, she was stronger that most people gave her credit for – You hate King’s Landing and you hate Dragonstone I know you do– that was a very polite way to put it, she hated Aerys and his madness, she hated Rhaegar and his kind dismissiveness of anyone who didn’t agree with anything and everything he ever says and does – You stayed for my sake but I do not need you, you have my leave so just go, I’ll be fine – She turned to Ned then – What time are you leaving?

–Before the fest

–She will meet you at the gates then.

 

 

**Brandon**

He was still packing when Ned walked into the room.

– Did you say goodbye then?

– Well, not quite

– What does that mean? – He asked puzzled

–It means she coming back to Winterfell with us – He said it as casually as possible but Brandon could tell he was nervous

He stayed quiet for a moment, blinking away his bewilderment – You’re going to have to explain that one little brother

– Well, I told her we were leaving and she told me she was coming with us – his tone was dry but the smile he was obviously fighting against kind of ruined the unflappable facade he was trying to go for.

– She told you?

–Yes

– And you just agreed?

– I did

–She’s pushy

–She is

–You like it

– I do – he scoffed at that, amused “cheeky little brat”

–You know brother, I think you have a type, not just for girls but for people in general, you like them wild – no answer came after that, his brother had gone silent, silent and thoughtful, as if he had somehow revealed him some hidden mystery about himself, maybe he had.

– Not just wild I think – he finally offered, still lost in thought

– No, you also like them beautiful, you’re quite shallow brother

– Or maybe you’re just vain

– How dare you? – They both smile, both still a bit baffled at the turn of events – Have you considered what you are going to tell Father?

Ned deflated then, good humour gone – Not really no, he won’t send her away but I’m not sure he would let her stay for long, Father has plans and she is not part of them

– Leave Father to me then, I’ll figure something out, don’t trouble yourself about it

– I’m more troubled about what you might come up with than anything Father might say.

– Don’t be a brat I’m trying to help you

–I’m sorry

–No, you’re not

–No, I’m not – he was seriously asking for a slap

–Brat

 

**Ned**

They finished packing, everything was ready now, Brandon was still upset but the idea of going home was lighting up his mood considerably, he really hated the south.

They were making their way to the stables when Bran decided to return to their previous conversation.

–I have to ask though, why did you agree? – And wasn’t that a great question, why had he agreed? He couldn’t just blame it on love, he wasn’t that naive, one can live without love but no one can live with _just_ love, it wasn’t love that made him say yes, and maybe, had his future been less certain, he may have told her to stay and forget about him, that he wasn’t good enough for her as he had nothing to offer, but he did have something to offer.

He didn’t know what exactly was it that she wanted from him, he wasn’t even sure that she knew herself, if he was only a fancy she hadn’t satisfied just yet then he will take whatever she was willing to give and will let go once she decided to leave, but if she wanted more, if this was more… he was aware there was a chance that even with the means to provide a future nothing would come of it, not without Father’s permission but he knew, with absolute certainty, that he would regret it if he didn’t at least try to see things through.  

– I guess I just didn’t want to regret it and I knew I would if I didn’t say yes

\- You may regret it still - Brandon remarked, not unkindly 

\- I know - he did and it terrified him, but he also knew that the only ones that could get hurt in this ordeal were the two of them, "Hearts heal, I can afford to risk mine"

His brother nodded understandingly - I hope it works out then


	6. What to do with the girl?

**281 A.A.C.**

**Ashara**

She send a messenger to Dorne to inform her family about her _trip_  and said goodbye to her brother but didn’t ask for his permission. Elia gave her a carriage, two handmaidens and three men at arms to take with her. She asked the servants to pack all of her dresses, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to wear most of them north of the neck but that was alright, she had a purse filled with coin, she could buy something more appropriate for the cold, and if that proved too expensive once they crossed the Neck she would send someone to sell her least favourite dresses at White Harbour and refill her purse.

While she still had time she made a very quick visit to the town outside Hanrrenhal, where a makeshift market of mostly essosy merchants had gathered to take advantage of the tournament. She collected gifts for Lord Rickard “It always helps not to arrive empty handed”, as much as she hated to admit it she was nervous, she’d take whatever advantage she could get.

She didn’t buy useless trinkets, northerners had no time for those, nor did she buy fur or wool, the best quality ones came from the North anyway, she bought books, mostly from Essos, about all kinds of things, the husbandry of a variety of animals, great battle strategies from long ago, history from ancient empires, exotic medicine and folk tales.

She met the Stark party at the gates, Ned welcomed her quietly, Brandon did it loudly, Howland shyly, Benjen and Lyanna were confused about her presence but friendly otherwise and Lady Catelyn looked like she had eaten a lemon.

They said goodbye to Robert and the Arryns, turns out they were all leaving, “Rhaegar won’t like that” she thought “then again, it’s his fault they’re all leaving anyway, besides his plans had been ruined the moment the King arrived”, he probably thought he was being discrete but Elia put the pieces together in the blink of an eye, he wanted to dethrone his demented father and this was his solution, “The great council of 281 was now the great council that never was”.

Brandon gave the order and then they were gone. 

They spent the first three nights travelling nonstop, they would only rest to sleep and give the horses a break, resolved to move as fast as they could but once Brandon felt they were far enough they slowed the pace.

They were staying at an inn that night, the trip north was a long one and after a week on the road they were still two weeks away, or so she was told.

Her room was comfortable enough but completely unnecessary, she wasn’t going to sleep there. She left her room and looked around, Ned’s room was at the end of the corridor, but which end?

–Let's try the one on the right first.

She might have got it wrong so instead of opening the door she put her ear against it, It wasn’t Ned room, it was Brandon’s, she was about to leave when she heard it.

-Can’t you see Bran? that woman is a whore and she's taking advantage of your brother!

-Enough already –came a cold response - I will not hear another word of this

-Where are you going?

-Out

For a moment she thought about running but only for a moment “Running is for cowards”, so she put some distance between her and the door but didn’t go farther or tried to hide. Brandon came out of the room and saw her, her face was blank, he looked surprised to see her but didn’t react otherwise, he closed the door behind him and after a moment of silence made a soundless gesture with his hand, _follow me_ it said, she had half a mind to refuse but followed.

-She didn’t mean it – he claimed as soon as they were out of earshot from his room, his stand was open, his tone conciliatory, she would have say his eyes were pleading except for the fact that it was Brandon, he just wasn’t the kind of man that pleads.

\- Brandon dear, if you’re going to lie at least do it right – She wasn’t going to let it slide so easily.

They looked at each other, locked at an impasse, he wanted her to let it go, she wouldn’t. Finally he let out a sign and leaned against the wall, a hand combing through his hair, jaded.

– You and I are very alike, we both have a mean streak and we’re down right cruel when we lose our temper

-Are you afraid I’m going to snap and kill your wife? – She asked amused

-Don’t be ridiculous – he responded with a smile – I’m afraid you’re going to say something you can't take back, there won’t be fixing your relationship after that.

-Who says I want to fix it? – She challenged

He stayed quiet for a second, watching her carefully.

\- Ashara, do you consider us friends?

-Yes of course – She conceded easily 

-Then let me give you some friendly advice – his voice stayed kind but serious - You should really try to get along with her, she might be your only ally in the North, our people don’t like southerners much

-Do they not like southerners or do they not like your wife? – And if her tone was a little bit more vicious than it needed to be… good

-Both –he responded stoically

-Did they like Robert? – There was no need for an answer, she knew, but she was trying to make a point

-Of course they did –no point denying it really - but Robert was blessed with good looks and endless charm

-So was I – it’s not arrogance if it’s true, or maybe it was, “still true though”

-He’s also rowdy, tough and uninterested in strict etiquette and fancy clothes, all things the North loves

-I can be all of those things… expect for the clothes, I do love fancy clothes but I’m a woman, can’t I get away with that one?

-Depends how much you make my brother spend on them I guess – it sounded like a joke but it probably wasn’t

-Don’t worry, I pay for myself - He signed again and shook his head

-Fine, let me put it this way - no more circling around the subject then, good - as my wife, Catelyn will one day be the Lady of the North, which means she would outrank any woman my brother ever marries, if you’re planning to make your stay a little bit more permanent you’ll need to keep that in mind. I’m not saying you need to kiss her shoes, you don’t even need to pretend you like her you just need to play nice

-Can’t _she_ play nice?

-She will, I’ll make sure of that – the last part was told with such a matter-of-fact tone she couldn't help but believe him. It was her time to sign.

-Fine, I’ll do my best

They started walking towards the stairs

-That's not the way to your room – He said

-That's not the way to _your_ room – they smiled at each other and went their separate ways, she wasn’t going to her room and neither was he, there was a whorehouse close by and Ned was just at the end of the corridor.

 

 

**Rickard**

He was reading over what looked like an endless pile of messages from Lord Manderly, five years ago when he had tasked the man with sending him a capable man to act as castellan for The Claws it never even crossed his mind the man himself would take the job, he was thankful though, under his watch the town had grown not just in size but in wealth too.

The town had been making a lot of money for the last fifteen years, but none of it had make its way to Winterfell, not until Wayman took over, back then there was always a new expense to cover, the buildings, the castle, the shipyard, the ships, the fortified port, the fortified walls, the buildings again, the castle again and on and on it went.

Now, there were still a lot of new expenses but the town was making enough money to cover them and still send them a generous share. 

Apparently the glass workers had started crafting trinkets with the glass, very odd and pretty trinkets, the ones Northerners would acquire from time to time when the fancy struck them, the ones southerners just loved to buy as if it were an addiction. Lord Marderly didn’t waste any time, the first shipment sold exceptionally well and so did the ones after that. Now the merchants weren’t just selling glass but also Northern spirits, Ice wine, leather, wool, timber, peat and, interestingly enough, Ice.

“How odd to live in a place where there’s no ice even in winter”, the Marderlys sold ice too, he had always known but he never gave it much thought.

According to the last report Lord Wayman wanted to build a fleet to protect the merchant lines since the increase in commerce came with an increase in piracy, he had to agree, and since it was only fair, he also gave them permission to build a fleet on the east.

He stood up and walked to the window, the day was clear and would doubtlessly stay like that, “the perfect weather for a hunt or even a simple ride round the fields, but here I am, doing paperwork”. He walked back to his desk and instead of reading more papers he just filled his cup with wine

–A break won’t hurt

He leaned back against the chair, thinking, he wanted to start rebuilding Moat Cailin too but the king was paranoid and would probably consider it a declaration of war, he wasn’t going to risk it, not publicly at least, he’ll have to do it in secret, working slowly and discreetly, if anyone asked he would say he just wanted to ensure the remaining three towers wouldn’t fall down.

He heard a knock

– Come in

\- My Lord, a letter arrived for you, from your children – maester Luwin hadn’t been here for long, he arrived six months ago after maester Walys fell ill. He didn’t like speaking badly of the dead but he had to admit he liked Luwin much better, maybe because he was a northerner, as helpful as Walys had been he had always had a hard time adapting to their ways.

-Thank you Luwin

The letter was… troubling, they didn’t give him any details but if they were leaving earlier than expected something must have happened. They were also bringing a friend back with them

– Well, they’re good at making friends.

 

…………………………………………

 

But this was not the kind of friend he expected.

His first thought was that Brandon had picked a mistress in the south and brought her back with him, a highborn one at that which was much worse, a commoner could be easily concealed among the servants, and just as easily disposed of if the need ever arise but Lady Ashara Dayne came from a wealthy and prestigious family and one of the oldest in Westeros, whatever happened between them would have great repercussions, it just wouldn’t do.

Turns out he was both right and wrong, one of his sons did indeed bring a southern lover home, but it wasn’t Brandon, that gave him pause. Either Ned wasn’t as smart as he had thought or there was more to this girl, so he decided to hold judgement and observe.

The girl was beautiful, that went without saying, she was also charming, witty and wilful, she reminded him of Brandon in a way and he couldn’t help but like her for it, he also couldn’t help but worry for the exact same reason.

What did she felt for his son? he couldn’t quite tell, at times it looked like she was only humouring him but as soon as his attention strayed from her she lost all composure.

He was an old man, he had seen a lot, lived a lot, he knew love an obsession weren’t mutually exclusive but neither were they the same thing, which one was it then? Was it both?

A month passed by and the pieces started to fall in place, she loved his son, and his son reciprocated those feelings, they made each other happy, they accepted each other’s quirks, they told each other secrets and would never ask for anything the other couldn't give or was uncomfortable giving.

They were definitely sharing a bet but he didn’t worry about them eloping, despite her wilful nature he could tell she wasn’t going to do anything without her family’s blessing and neither will Ned. Still, the question remained, what to do with the girl?

She had been useful in many ways, she knew with excruciating detail what exactly was going on in King’s Landing and Dragonstone (courtesy of Princess Elia he assumed) and was more than willing to share the information with him, probably to gain some of his favour. She knew about essosy trade and foreign demand, she also seemed disturbingly knowledgeable about obscure poisons, she wrote it all down for maester Luwin. She often helped Benjen with his lessons and sewed some very pretty dresses for Lyanna. She was friends with Brandon, she was in love with Ned.

What to do with the girl?

 

 

**Brandon**

He walked into the great hall with sleep still clinging to his eyes, Father had been given him more and more responsibilities lately which was fine really, what wasn’t fine were the unreasonable deadlines that came along with them, “Is my punishment for forcing him into letting Ashara stay indefinitely”. He should probably ask why he hadn’t punish Ned instead but he really didn’t want that to happen, “He’s happy, I’m not taking that from him”.

But thinking back on it maybe threatening to father a hundred bastards before giving him a proper heir was a tad much.

Ned was at the main table breaking his fast, nobody else was on the table but then again, it was a bit late. He sat next to his brother and took a generous serving

-A letter arrived from the Eyrie – it had arrived last night but he had been too tired to share the news – Dyna gave birth to a healthy baby boy, they named him Harrold, also Barbrey is pregnant again, the first one was a boy so they’re hoping for a girl now…

-Ashara is pregnant – He blurted out suddenly.

Brando froze, that’s not where he saw the conversation going, regaining his composure he asked – Have you told Father yet?

-No, we just found out this morning, she wasn’t feeling well so I took her to Maester Luwin, you’re the first one I tell, I’ll speak with Father as soon as he returns from the execution – he was trying to keep it together but it was very clear to Brandon he was just about to lose his mind.

“Oh little brother, you’ve gotten yourself in quite a mess”, his mind was spinning though, “maybe…”

-Let me speak with him first, I think I can help you with this

-How? Confessing to something so outrageous that my future bastard pales in comparison?

\- Mock all you want it often does the trick, but no, I haven’t done anything that could overshadow this, what I have in mind is rather different and more likely to succeed – Ned looked at him, chewing on his lower lip, he was doubtful but also desperate, he nodded once, there weren’t that many options, “Don’t worry little brother, I’ll fix this for you”

 

……………………………………

 

Father came back not too long after but Brandon didn’t go to him right away, no, first he had a chat with Ashara followed by another with maester Luwin, “Please let this work, I don’t know what else to do if it doesn’t”.

He walked slowly, counting every step in the staircase and all the torches hanging from the wall on the corridors, he wanted to both stall and get this over with.

He arrived at his father’s solar just as Lyanna was leaving, she looked upset.

-Father, is everything alright? – he walked in without knocking, it wasn’t very proper of him but Lyanna had left the door open, Father looked tired.

-Lord Baratheon send a raven asking if Lyanna would like to spend two or three years at Storm’s End before the wedding

-That’s a very good proposal – It would give her time to get used to the place and its people and ease her way into her duties.

-Yes well, your sister wasn’t quite as keen on the idea as you are – Brandon snorted at that

-My sister is too young and idealistic to appreciate what a great deal she has been offered – Robert may never keep to one bed but he will never set her aside or put his bastard before any true born they might have, more importantly, he will never try to change her, not out of kindness but out of carelessness, he didn't give a shit about the Seven or proper southern etiquete, he’ll let her keep her Gods, ride all day and go hunting with him, he might even teach her how to fight just to scandalize his Lords. Better that than a faithful man that would force her to become a Southern Lady, “Much better than what Catelyn got anyway, I’m neither faithful nor willing to let her stay her southern self” – It would not be like those love songs she likes so much but those songs are complete bullshit anyway, let her throw her tantrum, she’ll understand when she gets older.

\- Maybe, but that’s not what you came to talk about is it?

He sobered up then, “this is it” - No, I came to talk about Starfall

 

……………………………………………

 

He was leaning against the wall just out of the way from the door to his father’s solar, he wasn’t sure just how long had he been waiting but he didn’t dare move, he wanted to be the first one to see them. Finally the door opened and two people walked out, they looked dazzled.

\- Did you get good news?- Two sets of wide eyes turned to him, one silver, one purple, their faces were hilarious but he fought off the laugh

-He’s sending a message to Starfall with a marriage proposal

-Oh, is he?

-How did you pull it off?

-Well, I might have mentioned to father that Starfall is a small but really rich port with good trade lines to Essos, it would definitively be in our best interest to get their council and their contacts… - before he could say more a mope of silky black hair was on his face with the girl it belonged to hanging from his neck

\- Thank you Brother – She let go of him and turned around to throw herself at Ned, not for a hug but for a kiss, a very pensioned kiss, long too. As soon as she disentangled herself from his brother she was off.

-I must write a message for my family

Ned was as red as the sunrise and he lifted an eyebrow at him

-Ehem, yeah um, Dornish people are um… touchy – His grin span from one ear to the other and Ned got redder still

-I see

They parted ways, Ned to gods knew where and he, he opened the door to the solar.

-I figured I’d have a few bastard running around the castle at some point but I expected them to be yours – he would have been offended if he hadn’t expected it too.

\- From what I gathered it seems like there would be no bastard at all – his grin was unashamedly smug, he couldn’t help it, he had pulled it off. And it was nowhere near as easy as he had just implied, if the information Ashara and Luwin gave him hadn’t been so good it would have never worked.

\- You could’ve just told me the girl was pregnant, I wouldn’t forsake my own blood – he didn’t look angry, not even annoyed just curious.

\- No, but you would sooner raise a bastard in your halls than ruin your plans, this way you don’t have to do either – he was trying really hard to stop himself from patting himself in the back.

\- You could have pled your case and given me the news

\- Then it would have sounded like an excuse and you hate excuses, you wouldn’t have listened, even if you had you hate it even more when people force your hand, this way you got to see the opportunity for what it was, besides, Ned wanted to tell you himself.

\- Shrewd… I’m impressed

-Thank you – He was going to celebrate this with wine and whores.

 

 

**Ashara**

There were no ravens for Starfall, not yet at least, there was one for Sunspear, and they had been kind enough to deliver her letters home (probably after riding them) but Lord Rickard didn’t want any snoopers, his letter was to be sent by messenger. It wouldn’t arrive alone though, she had a part to play in this, her role was to convince her family.

She did not run, but might have walked a little faster than needed, her room wasn’t going anywhere and the letter wouldn’t be send just yet but she was maybe more excited than she had expected. As soon as she arrived she gathered the best quality parchment she had and her favourite quill, sat on her desk and thought very carefully what she wanted to write.

There weren’t any grand declarations of love, she wasn’t stupid, that would get her nowhere, she needed to play her hand right so instead of spinning tales of romance she told them how close he was to his brother Brandon, the future Lord of Winterfell and warden of the North, she told them about The Claws at Sea Dragon Point and it’s growing fortune, she told them about merchant ships, beautiful glass work, northern spirits, Icewine and Ice sellers, she told them about a Lady Stark that was once a Tully and another one that would soon be a Baratheon, she told them about his friendship with the Storm Lord and his friendship with the eagles, she told them he was good, she told them he was kind, then, just before finishing the letter she told them that she loved him, she was surprised to discover she didn’t tell a single lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering, northern spirits is just good old fashion Vodka,.
> 
> Also, Harrold Arryn is actually Harrold Hardying, I'm not a fan of OC's so may half-solution is to just shuffle around the characters that already exist


	7. In Times of Peace

 

**281 A.A.C.**

 

**Brandon**

The envoy left on a ship called _The Zafire_ , it was filled with goods for sale, all except for a chest and a cage, the chest had gifts and two letters, the cage had two ravens trained to return to Winterfell but with no secondary nest.

 _– One will return immediately with their answer –_ Lord Rickard had told his man _\- the other will stay and nest in Starfall, we’re going to need a direct communication line._

The winds were on their side it seemed and it only took three weeks for the message to reach Lord Dayne and another week to get an answer. They would be having a wedding and they only had six weeks to get it all done.

 

………………………..

 

Two weeks before the wedding Lord Artos Dayne, his wife Janysse and their son and heir Allem reached The Claws with three ships and foreign goods, one of the ships had been The Zafire, finally returning from Dorne, the other two were Ashara’s dowry.

The rest of the small Dornish delegation arrived at Winterfell by land the week after, Oberyn Martell in representation of his sister who was now pregnant and very delicate of health, Ashara’s first cousins Lady Larra Blackmont, her husband, two of her brothers and her children, her second cousin Franklyn Fowler and his wife, Ser Myles Manwoody and a few other landed knights, an interesting bunch with interesting costumes but then again, so were the Northerners.

Catelyn accommodated them in the warmest wing of the castle to make them more comfortable, they were quite taken with all the decorations Lord Manderly had been sending them for the last five years, colourful glass figurines and stained glass panels, he wasn’t particularly interested in that sort of trivialities but even he had to admit they were beautiful, his favourite one was a group of nine huge panels his Lord Father had placed in the back of the Great Hall, it depicted a sparkling weirwood tree, the leaves arranged so that the empty spaces looked like wolves mid run.

The Dornish were also extremely curious about the glass gardens. Lady Blackmont, who had brought a few lemon tree sprouts at her cousin’s request had been both delighted and upset.

\- Had I known you could actually grow them I would have brought more, maybe some blood oranges too and peppers!

Robert, Elbert and Lord Arryn showed up just a day later along with a few of their Lords and all the Northern guest. Robert was his usual loud self but Elbert was a lot more subdued in the presence of his uncle.

Things between the Northerners and their Dornish guest had been cold at first but as soon as the Mormonts arrived the mood changed, the She-Bears were the perfect bridge between their cultures, soon enough they found many more things in common as unlikely as that sounded at first.

 

………………………………………

 

He was sitting on a balcony looking over the main courtyard when he heard a chair move on his right.

-Hide me, my Mother has gone mad

-I’ve heard they tend to do that during weddings – He gave her a side glance, she looked a bit dishevelled, her hair a mess - did you scape through the wilderness?

\- Well yes – "Crazy woman" he thought

-Where is Ned?

-He stayed behind and distracted them so I could escape

-How noble

-He’s a gift

He couldn’t help it, he started laughing - Poor bastard

-He’ll be fine, Mother already loves him

-He’s easy to love –They shared some wine and enjoyed the quiet, or as quiet as it gets with half the north in the castle -How is it going with our bannermen?

-I haven’t had much time with them, Mother went crazy before they arrived

-You should probably focus on them for now, I’ve told you already they’re not very fond of southerners

-I’m not your cold fish of a wife Brandon, I can handle them – She hadn’t forgiven Catelyn for calling her a whore, even if she really hadn’t meant it, he couldn’t really blame her for holding the grudge, after all, he was the same, still he had to defend her even if it was a losing battle.

\- The North and the south are very different, it’s not easy to adapt

\- Adapt? That woman can’t adapt to anything, she started suffocating the moment you pulled her out of the river, now she’s just freezing in the snow – She stood up and leaned over the table to stare at him with so much fire burning in her eyes it took him aback – Mark my words Brandon, stars shine from the desert to the Wall and farther away still. The North will love me, I will make them love me – He gave her a nod but no more words, there weren’t any, either she accomplished it or she didn’t, all he could do was wait and see.

So he waited and saw. 

She had already refused to have a Septon to officiate the wedding but now she was going all out, she announced her conversion to the old faith during lunch, it was supposed to be a private conversation between her and Ned but the among of northern witnesses were too big for it not to be staged.

That wasn’t her only tactic of course, she had made sure to spend time with every single one of their bannermen. She went riding with the Ryswells, she went hunting with the Glovers and Tallheards, she sang tavern songs with the GreatJon Umber and the Mountain Clans, exchanged jokes with Willam Dustin and Lady Flint, recited poetry for Lord Manderly and Lady Hornwood, complemented the She-Bears on their battle skills, spend hours telling Dornish folk tales to the Karstark children and even had an unsettlingly long conversation with Lord Bolton about poisons.

Father was impressed, Ned was proud and Catelyn… well, that was a problem he didn’t know how to handle. Brandon wished she had gotten angry, anger was easy to deal with, he knew anger like a close friend, but she wasn’t angry, if he had to choose a word for it he’d say she felt dejected, a lethargy had taken over her and he didn’t know what to do with that.

The worst part of it was that he knew he was to blame, yes Ashara was charming and adapted easily to her environment but Catelyn wasn’t exactly unsociable, the real reason Ashara was so popular was because of Ned and the clear devotion he had for her, that on itself had more weight than all of her clever schemes.

He needed to fix it but he wasn’t sure he could, “I’m not a good liar” still he had to at least try.

 

**Ashara**

It was the day of the wedding and her mother was doing her hair, it had an odd angle.

– Maybe a hairpin – she offered

-Oh I have just the one – She ran out of the room leaving the door opened, the perfect chance for someone to enter uninvited

-I can believe you’re willing to leave Dorne to come live in a place like this

-This place is beautiful Oberyn – she was only half paying attention to him, her hair was more important, it was her wedding day after all

-My balls are freezing – what a whiny little prince

-Good thing I don’t have balls

-Seriously, what’s so great about Eddard Stark that you’re willing to do this much for him?

-Do you really want to know?

-I asked, didn’t I?

-What’s so great about Eddard Stark is that I am willing to do this much for him

-Come on, there has to be a real reason

-There is, I love him

-That simply?

-Love is hardly simple my friend but I’m willing to make a gamble

\- What if you lose?

-Then I lose nothing but my heart, and my family still wins alliances and wealth – through the mirror she stared right into his eyes – And if I win I’ll have it all.

 

…………………………………

 

She was looking at herself in the mirror, her wedding gown was beautiful, white with light purple flowers, the spaces between the petals looked like wolves mid run, “like the panels on the Great Hall”, she was all done, but of course her mother wasn’t satisfied just yet – Blue roses! That’s what you need, some blue roses, you’ll be a vision – and she ran off again

\- You’re already a vision – She jumped “seriously, can’t anyone knock?” Still, she couldn’t help but smile

\- What are you doing here Ned?

-I wanted to see you, I got anxious

-You better not be getting cold feet, I will drag you to the Godswoods kicking and screaming if I have to – he chuckled but she was only half joking

-I’m just worried I’m going to forget the words

\- I’ll whisper them to you if it happens – they looked at each other, what an odd match they made, or maybe it was the perfect match.

\- You know, when I first saw you I didn’t think much of you

\- Oh I know, I kept trying to figure out why you followed me to my table, was it Robert or Bran?

\- Robert, I’d never get involved with married men, too much trouble – They shared a laugh

-What changed? I know it happened that same night but I don’t know what _it_ was

\- Nothing really, I’m the kind of brat that likes to be the only star in the sky and you weren’t paying attention to me

\- I was

\- No you weren’t – she reminisced fondly – not the way I wanted anyway, but that’s fine, it made me pay attention to you, that’s when everything changed for me, you’re a gift – She had said it to Brandon once as a joke, but he really was - What about you?

\- I liked you from the beginning

\- Don’t try to fool me Stark, you liked my looks and believe me a brat

-A very charming brat – _wolf like_ is what she would call the grin on his face

\- Come on confess, when was it?

\- The third night during the feast, some lady called Howland swamp scum and you suddenly stumbled and dropped your cup of wine on her.

-You saw that?

\- I did, you didn’t do it for me you did it for him, it was both admirably mean and horribly nice.

\- This is all terribly romantic children but you’re not supposed to be here Eddard, shoo shoo off you go

-Mother, we were having a moment!

 

**Rickard**

Ashara was already over four months along but wasn’t really showing which was good, it wouldn’t do to make it seem like he was doing this to avoid the scandal, he was in a way but he was also doing it for the sake of the North, Brandon had been right, the Dayne trade routes were exactly what they needed, Dorne needed ice and they had plenty, also glass from Myr was ridiculously expensive not just in Westeros but in Essos too, they could take advantage of that.

The wedding was a merry event, by midnight half the guests were drunk off their butts and the other half had passed out. He had asked the servants to remove the glass decorations and it proved to be the right call, Oberyn broke a chair, Robert broke a table and GreatJon had somehow managed to break the door, the iron reinforced door, again, “How the fuck…?”

The newlyweds were long gone and so were all of the young ones, he wished he could leave too but he needed to make sure the rest of the furniture survived. He turned to look at Brandon who was miraculously sober.

-So what is this about?

-What do you mean?

-You know what I mean

Brandon signed and deflated on his chair – It occurred to me that I might be the reason for Catelyn’s shaky position here in the North, I’m trying to fix it

-How is it going?

-Splendidly

-Why are you so upset then?

\- Because now I know for sure it was my fault and guilt is a terrible thing

 

………………………………...

 

The guest left two days after the wedding, they were meant to leave the day after but the ones that weren’t still unconscious were either too drunk or too hungover to ride even a carriage.

The Daynes stayed for a few more days as did Lord Manderly who was meant to accompany Ned and Ashara to The Claws, show them the ropes and then return to his own sit. The Daynes just wanted to spend a few extra days with their daughter.

Five days after the wedding his son left and his heart broke, just as it had done when he sent him to the Valle, it would never get easier, he knew that much. He was proud of him, he was proud of all of his children, life had been kind to him despite all its horrors, he hoped it could be kinder to them still.

 

**282 A.A.C.**

 

**Brandon**

Allyria Stark was born early on the year, the perfect mix between her parents, Stark colours and Ashara’s face, “she would be a beauty”. Lord Rickard and his two youngest went to meet the newest Stark at The claws, Brandon wanted to go too but someone had to stay behind “There must always be a Stark in Winterfell”, he would visit some other time.

Actually, the fact that they were all gone was a good thing, he could see now how it would be in the future, just him and Catelyn ruling over the North from this ancient castle, all his sibling away making their own lives, he missed them all terribly but it wasn’t so bad.

He had started to truly warm up to Catelyn now that he finally admitted he was deliberately making himself miserable by convincing himself he would never love her. He still didn’t, not like a husband should anyway, but he could honestly say now that she was a dear friend and that type of love was just as important.

The day they returned, two months after they left, Brandon received them in the gates with his new squire Ethan Glover

-How did it go?

-The baby is lovely Bran –Lya answered with excitement but her face promptly contracted in worry – But I don’t think Ashara is doing so well with the cold, she gets sick all the time

-Well she comes from a very warm place, she’ll get used to it eventually – Both his sibling nodded but they still looked troubled – Hey! What’s that on your clocks?

\- Oh, they are direwolf pins! Ned gave them to us, aren’t they great? they look exactly like our banner.

 

………………………………………...

 

Later that day his father summoned him to his solar

\- I think is time for you to get an heir – it wasn’t a thought, it was an order

He had been careful not to get Catelyn pregnant, maester Walys was of the opinion that having children too young increased the risk of mortality and miscarriage and he had jumped at the chance to avoid that one task for the time being, he liked children and he wanted to have his own but he wasn’t ready for them just yet. Hoster Tully had been displeased but Father didn’t have him until he was three and twenty so he let them be. No more

\- I’ll talk to Catelyn – It was time anyway and with some luck, his children would take after Ned instead of him.

 

………………………………………...

 

On the eighth month of the year, a letter came from Riverrun with an invitation to Lysa’s nameday, it was an important event, apparently, Lord Tully was looking for a groom.

His Lord Father had agreed to attend but he would arrive just for the party, Catelyn and he, on the other hand, would leave early, she wanted to visit her family, it had been a while.

\- I’ll write to Ned, he can stay in charge of Winterfell while we are gone, he can bring his family – he commented over dinner

-I can take care of Winterfell just fine! – complained an indignant Ben

\- Yes but I want to meet my nice

 

……………………………………...

 

And he did, the child was a ball of energy – She has the wolf’s blood brother

\- Don’t remind me – he looked worse for wear but the smile that appeared on his face every single time he looked upon his offspring was something else.

They did not get much time together, by the next day they were on the road along with Ethan and Lyanna who insisted on going with them.

They spent the month before the party at Riverrun, the place was beautiful but the people made him feel wary. Lysa Tully was a shallow and anxious little girl, Edmure was a dimwit and Lord Tully, well, his father opinion of Lord Tully had always been mixed – _Honourable and dutiful, Pragmatic to the point of being callous, ambition that borders on greed_ – He knew not what to make of him either but he was his father by law now so he played nice.

His ward was a creep though, always lurking in the corners, constantly stalking his wife.

-What’s the matter with him? – He asked her once after he saw them talking on the Godswood, she had looked something between tired and annoyed.

\- He claims to be in love with me, I don’t even understand what he expected me to tell him.

Honestly, the only good apples in that particular basket were Catelyn and the Blackfish, and he spent most of his time away from the castle (and his brother).

Elbert arrived just three days before the celebration along with his wife, son and some young knights from the Valle, his presence was a blessing, the Tullys were giving him headaches.

That very same night Catelyn shared the news with her family and guest, she was pregnant and he was pretty sure they finished half of the wine reserved for the party.

He had already sent a raven to Winterfell that morning, Father was probably just a day away so he would tell him in person, he searched for Lyanna in the hall but he could not find her, there was Littlefinger in the corner drinking himself stupid with Lysa by her side, there was Edmure dancing with his wife, there was Ethan talking to some riverlander girl, but not Lyanna, well it was late, maybe she had gone to bed early, “She missed the news” he thought “well, I’ll tell her in the morning”.

But when morning came Lyanna wasn’t there, she went out for a ride the day before, as she did every day at noon, but she had never returned.


	8. In Times of War

**282 A.A.C.**

**Ned**

If he were a bard he would say the news came in like the sunset, breathtakingly beautiful and then everything goes dark.

**_Catelyn is pregnant, open some wine and make a toast._ **

And they opened a bottle of the most expensive wine in Father’s collection to celebrate, Father would understand.

 

…………………………………………………

****

**_Lyanna has been abducted, the smallfolk say they saw Prince Rhaegar Targaryen at nightfall taking her away in a horse, some say she was unconscious, some say she was dead. Brandon has gone to king’s Landing with Elbert and some others, Lord Rickard hasn’t arrived yet. I pray this is all a misunderstanding._ **

They had been so chocked nobody spoke for the longest time, it was Ashara who first broke the silence - That cannot be right, I would accuse Rhaegar of many things but not of this.

\- Who took Lya then? – She had no answer

 

…………………………………………………

****

**_Brandon and his party had been arrested, I’ve been summoned to the Red Keep by the King. Nobody knows where Lyanna is, or Prince Rhaegar for that matter. I don’t know what’s going to happen but I need you to be ready, nothing good can come from this._ **

Nothing good did come from it.

 

…………………………………………………

 

He was no estranger to grief, they had become acquaintances when he was five and his grandmother died. They had met again over and over throughout the years, for a friend, for a pet, for people he admired, but it wasn’t until he said goodbye to his mother for the last time that they became intimate. He thought they couldn’t get closer than that but here they were again, standing face to face in the middle of a hall.

“Lya is gone, Brandon is dead, Father is dead”

Elbert was dead too, leaving behind a wife and a son too young to understand the loss of a man he would probably never remember once he’s grown.

Ashara was holding their daughter, tears running down her pale face, was he crying too? His eyes were dry but there was such a stinging sensation on them, his sight wasn’t clear. He wanted to say something, anything, but there was a lump on his throat, what could he say anyway? what would words do right now?. His feet felt unsteady, the world tilted, like a boat out at sea in the middle of a storm.

“Lya is gone, Brandon is dead, Father is dead”

Bereavement, that was the world he was supposed to use to describe it, but it didn’t felt like enough, maybe no words could describe it, did it matter? giving names to things didn’t mean you could control them.

“Lya is gone, Brandon is dead, Father is dead”

Benjen was sitting on the floor, he wasn’t crying nor was he moving, his eyes were lost somewhere in the distance, perhaps that one place where memories come back to life and hold you hostage for a while, he sat next to him and waited, for what? For the true to become a lie?

Mother always said denying reality to avoid facing the truth was a fool’s game, but he could see the appeal now.

“Father is upstairs in his solar, reading reports, distributing taxes, all the boring stuff he hates to do but does regardless because he loves the North and because he loves his children, he wants a brighter future for them”

Benjen was sobbing now, body shaking despite the warmth of the hall. He put an arm around his shoulders and let him hid his face on his chest.

“Brandon is out in the courtyard training, his skill is the stuff of legends, something to marvel at, he fights with the wild abandon and natural skill with which he does everything, a man who loves and hates with the intensity of a natural disaster”

Maester Luwin was giving them his condolences, his voice was broken, his face full of grief.

“They’ll come join them at the table in a moment, the cooks made blueberry tart, Lyanna’s favourite, she will be delighted, maybe they could go on a ride tomorrow, he has missed her terribly”.

Such a normal everyday routine and it was now his must desired dream, the one he would do anything to make reality but it would never be.

-Ned, what are we going to do? – he didn’t know, Father wasn’t there to give him the answer anymore, Brandon couldn’t fix this for him from the grave.

_Pull one thread and the world unravels_

It was an old saying his people had, the kind of thing elders would say whenever someone made a small comment that started a huge fight. He wondered if it applied now, “The King caused no offence, he killed half of my family”

The king had branded them all traitors, him, Robert, Benjen, Catelyn, Ashara even baby Allyria, he was calling for their heads.

\- We fight – What other choice did they have? Death? The Starks endure, that’s what they had done for eight thousand years, that’s what they would do now.

_And the world unravels_

 

**Ashara**

From Winterfell ravens flew, raising up in the sky like a black cloud, letters to their banner men and allies, more ravens came and went on the days that followed.

On the last month of the year they declared war, long passed any turning point, house Stark, house Baratheon, house Tully, House Arryn, House Dayne, they were all traitors now.

She knew what was coming and did her best to prepare, Catelyn was in Riverrun with her family and for her own safety as well as that of Brandon’s child there she would stay until the war was over, it fell to Ashara to be the Lady of Winterfell and help Benjen hold the North but with winter upon them the task was easier said than done, unlike Catelyn she hadn’t really been trained for this.

The thought of her broke her heart, “She had loved Brandon, she loved him so much”. They had never actually gotten along, mostly because of her own inability to forgive a small slight, but they had remained civil throughout all of their interactions, “It all seems so silly now”. She had been writing her letters, unable to give her any comfort beyond words, she was shocked to realise that was the first real kindness she had showed her since they met.

\- Vicious little girl, was it so hard to be kind?

\- Are you talking to yourself? – inquired Ned as he walked into their room

-I am

He regarded her for a moment - You’re not vicious

-Not to you – that was a fact he couldn’t deny so they changed the subject to something more proactive, allies, provisions, weapons and soldiers, they didn’t talk about Lyanna, talking about it would help her not and they were both too afraid to imagine her fate, but there was someone they needed to talk about.

\- What would happen to Elia and her children if we crown Robert King? – She knew he hadn’t thought of that, his main focus was keeping their family alive, Elia was Ashara’s family too though, even if in between the grief, the fear and the anger she had forgotten to think about what this would mean to her.

It took him a moment to answer, the best solution hanged above their heads like an axe but what was best wasn’t always what was right and Ned was the sort of man who did what was right - She could abdicate for her children and return to Dorne, but the children would have to be fostered by one of the rebel kingdoms to avoid any plots against Robert, maybe Storm’s End.

She loathed the idea of stealing the throne from Aegon but she understood the situation more than she had ever understood anything.

The King needed to die, there was no way around it, she had believed that Rhaegar would one day depose his insane father and give them all some peace of mind, Lord Rickard would have supported him along with all of his allies, Dorne would’ve join him too and so would have Lord Tywin if he played it right. She had been waiting for a great council or a rebellion for years now but it never came and nothing changed.

She had wondered many times what was Rhaegar waiting for, for his father to cross some kind of line and go too far? What exactly did he considered _too far_? He was paranoid, vile, sadistic and vengeful, a rapist who burned people alive, _he burned innocent people alive_.

But the Prince never made his move, instead he kidnaped her sister and turned four kingdoms against him, Rhaegar was the enemy now and none of the rebels would put his baby on the throne when they already had a grown man with a good claim to the throne that they all trusted as candidate.

She didn’t want things to be like this but she understood, the Starks would never bend the knee to a dragon again and if they didn’t neither would the others, and she couldn’t ask them to do so, not after what happened.

She loved Elia but if she had to choose between her and Allyria, between her children and Allyria, between the entire world and Allyria, she would choose her daughter every time, on every situation, she would choose her daughter and she would not apologise for it. Still, Elia was her friend, she couldn’t just abandon her, she needed to do something even if it was just this one little thing.

-We could take them – She knew she was asking for way too much, even if Ned would never hold a child responsible for the sins of his kin a dragon in their own halls would be just the cruellest of trails, a living reminder of his biggest sorrow, but she asked anyway because Ned was, above all else, a good man – We will never betray Robert, he knows that, and the Martells trust me, they know I would treat those kids as if they were my own, Rhaenys could marry a Northern Lord and Aegon can join the Night Watch once he comes of age – She would have considered it a terrible punishment before she came to Winterfell but now she knew the Night Watch was still very important to the North, they considered it a noble calling, men still volunteered and people thought them admirable, Aegon could rise the ranks and become Lord commander, more importantly he would keep his head.

Ned was thinking about it but she already knew the answer, he would never allow another Targaryen in the throne but he was not the kind of man that would let an innocent child come to harm - I’ll talk with the others

\- Talk to Robert not the others – Lord Arryn and Lord Tully could talk about honour all they wanted but they knew all too well those kids would be a threat to their new dynasty, they were too pragmatic to risk it, “But Robert loves you more than anything in this world, he’ll allow it if you ask, because it’s you” - I’ll wright a message for the Martells, if he agrees just send word and I’ll send them a Raven.

**Ned**

The North was big, and with winter at their doors, it took a long time to gather his forces but at least he didn’t have any royalist in his lands, the others certainly did. While he made his way south Lord Tully was purging his lands, half of his Lords still loyal to the crown, Jon Arryn was facing the royalist factions gathered in Gulltown and Robert fought three armies in one day and somehow managed to get them all on his side after defeating them, now most of the Stormlands were united under his banner but some dissenters remained.

Lord Dayne had convinced house Blackmont and Fowler to stay neutral and made his way to the Reach with most of his forces to harass their southern borders. It would keep some soldiers away from the main fight but the Reach had plenty to spare.

 

**283 A.A.C.**

In the Riverlands he had joined his forces with Jon, they kept marching south to link with the Stormlanders and the Tully forces.

On the days that followed riders arrived with news. After being defeated by Lord Randyll Tarly in the Battle of Ashford, near the border between the stormlands and the Reach, Robert made his retreat and turned north. The battle had been rather indecisive for what they gathered but half of the army was now trapped in the south while the Tyrells laid siege to Storm’s End. That could almost be considered a blessing seeing how big their army was but the good news ended there.

The new Hand of the King, Lord Jon Connington, took over the pursuit of Robert from the Tyrell army. He personally led a mighty army into the field, the forces he commanded gave chase, and Robert's march became a grueling one, not only were they trying to outrun a much bigger army but they also had to fight their way north through hundreds of miles of enemy territory.

 

…………………………………………………

 

They made haste and met Lord Tully near High Heart along with the Baratheon army but no Robert.

-He was wounded on our way north – explained Lord Grandison – we took him to the Stony Sept so the Septons could treat him but they insisted he needed rest, he knew we couldn’t afford it with the royalist at our heels so he ordered us to leave him behind, we didn’t want to do it but he had already gained the favour of the townsfolk, they offered to hide him, it was our only option.

So against cold winds and light snow the race began, both the rebels and the royalist, who somehow had managed to track down Robert to Stoney Sept, moved as fast as they could to reach the town. Lord Connington arrived first.

His army took the town by force and began to search every house, even the sewers, for Robert. The residents of the town were actively helping Robert however, and despite the search, the offered pardons and rewards, the threats and the hostages Connington took and hung in crow cages, they could not find Robert.

When Ned and his forces reached Stoney Sept the town's Septons rang bronze and silver bells to warn the smallfolk to remain indoors.

As he rode into battle dread clawed at his heart, it was all up to him now, he couldn’t afford to be weak, foolish or indecisive. “Use your fear, let it make you stronger, faster, wiser, let it push you forward, let it keep you grounded, let it keep you alive”.

He reached enemy lines and cut off a head with a swing of his sword. A kick to a chest, sword against sword, he stabbed someone in the eye and cut off a hand. Move to the right, move to the left, someone tried to knock him off his horse and he used his own weight against him, he killed a man and then another, flesh, bone and even steal, Ice cut through everything, the world was a red mess of moving figures and flying limbs. “Keep focus, you’re leading these men, what is happening? what do you need to do?” – BRAKE THEM UP!

The rebels stormed Stoney Sept's walls and attacked Jon Connington's army, who responded by fighting back fiercely in streets, in alleys, and even on rooftops.

As the bells rang, Robert emerged from his last hiding place and slew six men in quick succession, he was like a demon with a hammer.

The rest of the battle was a blur but the aftermath? That one lingered. The clacking of the swords, the battle cries, the screams of fear, rage and pain, sounds of war and death, he could still hear them.

Lord Connington wounded Hoster Tully and killed Lord Jon Arryn's gallant cousin, Ser Denys Arryn, with an axe. But when he saw the day was lost, he flew off as fast as the griffins on his shield. The battle was won by the rebel army, although the royalists were able to retreat in good order. It was quite a feat considering the fierce, urban fighting they were all immersed in.

\- How are you feeling? – He asked his friend once everything was finally settle

\- Like shit, but I’m alive and hale so fuck it, how about you?

\- Same – They sat by the hearth of some whorehouse called the Peach

\- We’ll get her back Ned I promise you, I’ll crutch that whore son Rheager, I’ll ripe him to pieces, we’ll win this war and we’ll get her back – it sounded so simple, but Ned had already learned that life was never simple and rarely merciful, mainly because people themselves were never simple and rarely merciful, still he hoped, he hoped they could win this war, he hoped he could save his sister, he hoped they could all survive.

-Have you thought what we’ll do with Elia and her children?

\- What does it matter? Dragons are dragons, and we’re going to take them down – he sounded uninterested but he knew his mind was working, now that the question had been asked the issue could not be ignored.

-Princess Elia is no dragon, she a Martell and Ashara’s friend

\- Say what you will I’m not in the mood for charades

\- Send her back to Dorne, I’ll take the children North with me, away from King’s Landing and any royalist foolish enough to try anything

\- Are you seriously considering harbouring a dragon in your own home? – he looked almost offended at the mere thought and to be fair it wasn’t something he was particularly keen on doing himself, but he just couldn’t live with the alternative, it was just too cruel

\- They’ve done nothing

\- They’ll be a threat no matter how well you hide them

\- Then kill them yourself, if you’re willing to condemn them, carry out the sentence with your own two hands – they stared at each other, Robert with fiery anger Ned with frosty calm, it was a challenge.

\- Do whatever the fuck you want, but mark my words Ned, nothing good would come from it.

 

 

**Jaime**

The battle of the Bells, as people were calling it now, was followed by a relative long respite, it was the calm before the storm. The Battle forced the King to take Robert's Rebellion seriously and now both sides prepared for their final stand.

King Aerys had been preparing his wildfire plot. His new Hand, Lord Qarlton Chelsted, who had been elevated to the position after the exile of the previous Hand, Lord Connington, following the Battle of the Bells, eventually became suspicious of the frequency with which the pyromancers visited the king. When he discovered the king's wildfire plot, he attempted to change the king’s mind, and when nothing worked, he chose to resign his position. For this, Aerys had him burned alive, “Like so many others”

Jaime had long since learned to ‘ _go away inside’_ , focusing on thoughts of Cersei instead of the events occurring in front of him. It made things easier but not better.

Like always, Aerys grew aroused by sight of burning people, that night he visited the chambers of his wife. Jaime and his sworn brother, Ser Jonothor Darry, stood guard outside Queen Rhaella's bedchamber while Aerys raped her, listening to her cries.

\- We are sworn to protect the Queen as well- he voiced out, feeling sick

\- But not from him – was Jonothor’s only answer

And life went on in king's landing.

 

......................................................

 

The King sent ser Barristan and ser Jonothor to Stoney Sept to rally what they could of the loyalist forces, which included loyal Riverlords, Stormlords, and Valemen as well as all the houses from the crownlands.

After at first refusing to send aid to Aerys, both due to his caution as well as due to his anger over Elia's treatment, Prince Doran Martell finally agreed to send men to strengthen the army. King Aerys sent Prince Lewyn Martell, Prince Doran's uncle, to take command of these forces, but also threatened him by stating that he held Princess Elia Martell and her two young children hostage. Ser Gelord, on the other hand, was sent to look for Rhaegar.

Lewyn returned from Dorne with 6,000 Dornishmen and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, but no ser Gerold. Rhaegar gave no explanations but quickly took command of the army. They were joined by the Lords of the Narrow Sea and a sizable host from the Reach. The Targaryen host had around forty thousand men, with at most a tenth of them knights.

Acording to Varys the rebel side included 20,000 men of the North, not a single loyal house there, and around 9,000 from the Vale. Robert's army from the Stormlands had to fight its way north and was much diminished, but the remaining soldiers were veterans. The Riverlords were split between the rebels and loyalists, though the Tullys fought on the rebel side. House Darry, in contrast, was a major Riverlands House that fought on the Targaryen side, so did houses Mooton and Ryger. House Frey, the largest of the houses sworn to House Tully, had stayed neutral so far and that seemed unlikely to change. Over all after all the inner fighting the Tullys had less than 5,000 men to offer.

The royalists were just slightly more numerous, but the rebels were more battle hardened

The day the Prince left to face the rebels, Jaime begged Rhaegar to take him along, suggesting one of the other Kingsguard knights could remain at the king's side instead, “Please, I just want to get out of here”. But Rhaegar refused the suggestion, he admitted that the King wanted to keep Jaime close as a hostage against his father. Rhaegar promised that changes would be made when he returned from the battlefield, and charged Jaime with keeping his wife, Elia Martell, and their children safe. That did nothing to alleviate Jaime’s anger and disappointment.

He watched them as they marched away, leaving him behind in this hell hole.

 

 

**Ned**

The battle took place at the crossing of the Trident, under the red sky of the sunrise, the ground was lightly dusted in white and the cold was cruel and bitter, but only the southerners seemed hindered by it. The Targaryen army spread before them on the other side of the river, Rhaegar Targeryan at the head.

It needed to end here, before the Lannisters or the rest of the Tyrells decided to take a much active role, on the opposite side.

Robert had described it all way too simple but the truth was, right here and right now, he had been absolutely right, “We just need to kill Rhaegar, the king is mad, the Queen is weak and the rest are children, everything they have will fall apart if we just kill Rhaeagr”. Of course, that was easier said than done.

Rhaegar made the first move, charging ahead to cross the river. Robert used his booming voice to command their troops, the battle had started.

What followed was the biggest bloodshed Ned had ever seen, men from all over the seven kingdoms fighting and dying one after another. He charged up head to break the lines on the centre, green boys that had not seen battle yet, if not for their numbers Ned would call them easy prey.

The men under the command of Prince Lewyn Martell threatened their left flank but Ser Lyn Corbray picking up his wounded father’s sword, Lady Forlorn, led a charge and broke the Dornishmen. During the charge Lyn killed the already-injured Lewyn.

Somewhere to his right, he could see Ser Barristan Selmy killing several men while Lord Mallister slew three of Rhaegar's main bannermen.

Someone knocked him off his horse and he had to roll to avoid being crushed by a passing knight, before he knew it he was surrounded, but not for long.

-Over my dead body you mother fuckers – roared the GreatJon and the reachman closest to him went out flying like a bird. He cut off his way out of the fray and killed a knight with his back to him, he mounted his new horse and kept going.

As the many great lords and knights either lost their lives or made names for themselves in the fighting and the battle screamed about, by the will of the gods, by chance or perhaps by design, Robert and Prince Rhaegar both found each other amidst the shallows of the ford. The two knights fought upon their destriers, swift and savage, for what felt like forever, but Robert eventually crushed Rhaegar's chest with a blow of his warhammer. The impact was so hard that the rubies adorning Rhaegar's armour were shattered free to litter the river, men on both sides stopped their fighting and jumped into the ford to steal the rubies that glittered under the water.

And in just one moment, the war was over, Rhaegar was dead – Rhaegar is dead! RHAEGAR IS DEAD!

Leaderless, the royal army broke and fled but there was nowhere to run, the Targaryen army was completely annihilated.

It was over, they had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The war I left almost word by word like in the book, except of course for the obvious. It starts a couple of months later than in the cannon but finishes on the same date so it doesn't last as long. It doesn't affect the overall timeline since both Ned and Robert were already in their homelands and didn't have to fight their way out of the Valle just to call their banners, that cuts down at least 2 months.  
> The battle of Gulltown still happens though (there no way Jon is going to leave an enemy at his back) but it happens parallel to the 3 battles at Summerhall.  
> And since the Tullys joined the war from the start there's no need for Ned and Jon to make their stop for the double wedding, that cuts down time too. Likewise the purging of the riverlands also happens in parallel to Gulltown.


	9. When The Wold Unrravels

**283 A.A.C.**

**Ned**

The battle was over and they had not only survived but won, his relive was so great he felt his knees weaken, he wanted to feel better about it but under the bright sun of the morning it was hard to miss the impact. Corpuses lithered the battlefield in all directions, their blood painted roses in the ground like the most twisted of mockeries. The world was coloured red still.

He walked among the dead, watching their faces, or what was left of them, the great majority were enemies but that didn’t stop the well of pity in his chest.

He stopped his step, a man laid at his feet his belly open from side to side - Meer…merrr…cy pp please – He begged and without hesitation Ned cut his neck with one swift move. He remembered distantly that mercy had a completely different meaning before the war.

Dorne lost all the troops they sent to support the Targaryen army including Prince Lewyn Martell himself, from the crownlands there were a few survivors but not nearly enough to say they fared better, must reachmen had given up as soon as Rhaegar fell and were now prisoners, Ser Barristan Selmy was severely injured and captured and overall the Targaryen army was completely annihilated. The rebel army took heavy casualties, but not nearly as many as the Targaryens. Robert himself was also moderately injured in the fighting.  

 _\- There is not glory in war only destruction and dead -_ with every kill and every dead his father’s words would echo inside his head. Friend or foe, peasant or highborn, their final moments hunted him like vengeful ghosts.

It all seemed to be lost on Robert though, or maybe not lost but his reaction was the complete opposite of Ned’s. It was as if every battle he fought feed something inside him, something both terrible and wonderful, an intensity that bordered on hysteria, blindingly bright, frighteningly dark, but also ephemeral and evasive like a thin cloud of smoke, as soon as he saw it, it was gone.

- _War changes people_ – Father had said – _for better or for worse but sometimes both at once_ – What about them? What had they become? Was he better or worse? He couldn’t tell, not with so much blood on his hands and the knowledge that he would spill even more, as much as he had to.

He thought of Brandon, he had been like Robert, craving the thrill of battle, the glory of war, would he had found it a beautiful mistress like Robert did, thriving in her presence, eager for more? Or would he had seen her like he did, an ugly pitiful thing? He would never know.

A boy came running towards him - Lord Stark, Lord Arryn is calling for you, he’s in the king’s tent

He arrived at the tent right before a group of squires brought Ser Barristan Selmy before them, he was in a litter, grievously wounded and near death. On the Trident, Ser Barristan cut down a dozen good men, Robert's friends and his. Roose Bolton urged them to cut his throat.

\- I will not kill a man for loyalty, nor for fighting well – said Robert with an uncharacteristic serious tone – find him a place to rest and send him my maester. Some of the people in the tent looked unsure but Robert was their king now, they had to obey.

They kept discussing their next move but the mood was light, their victory marked the beginning of the end for the Targaryen dynasty and they all knew it. The main reason such a high number of Houses had remained loyal to the Mad King was because of loyalty they felt towards the Prince. With Rhaegar dead, House Targaryen had nothing, no army stood between the rebels and King's Landing, the only other loyalist armies being Mace Tyrell's besieging Storm's End, and maybe Tywin Lannister, who had refused calls to arms from both the loyalists and the rebels until that point.

The next few days were cathartic, they dealt with the dead, organized their prisoners, cut their losses and counted their provisions. The memories were still fresh but people rested with ease, some would even spend their days celebrating, but the war wasn’t over, not just yet.

 

 

**Jaime**

Standing in the throne room next to Aerys he had a breath-taking view of the King’s reaction to the news. They lost the battle a very decisive one too, now there was nothing between the rebels and the city, there were most certainly on their way.

The King raged for days and then he was perfectly calm, at times almost gleeful, he sent queen Rhaella and Viserys to Dragon Stone but Elia and her children were left behind.

Jaime was afraid, and he hated himself for it, there were catches of wildfire all over the city, even the castle, and Aerys was oddly still, something close to sane, it made the people around breath easier but not him, he knew better. When the King summoned Elia to the throne room Jaime knew the calm before the storm was over.

She looked perfectly collected but the mask didn’t fool him, still, he respected her nerve. Once again, they were surrounded by the court and he could almost smell the charred remains of all the people that died in the same spot where she was standing, he could almost hear the screams.

\- You stand before your King to confess to your treason- shrieked Aerys, the silence that followed was absolute they knew what was coming.

\- Your majesty, I’m nothing but a loyal servant…

\- Lies, all lies – the king interrupted – if you’re a loyal servant why did your people join the traitors?

-My King, the Starks already had an alliance with western Dorne…

-And why – he continued as if she hadn’t spoken – did it take your brother so long to send his bannermen? Why did he send so few when the books clearly tell me there are at least forty thousand warriors in Dorne?

\- Those books are highly exaggerated your grace, and I’m not privy to my brother decisions, I haven’t spoken to him since I came here...

-Oh! But you knew, you and that whore you brought to court with you planned it all, didn’t you? She sent a letter to Sunspear telling them you would return to Dorne safe and sound if they won and my grandchild will go North with those savages, YOU THOUGHT I DIDN’T KNOW, YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD FOOL ME! BUT I FOUND OUT, THERE ARE NO SECRETS YOU CAN KEEP FROM ME, YOU TRAITOR, YOU’RE UNCLE TURNED ON RHAEGAR THE MOMENT THE BATTLE STARTED, THAT'S WHY HE LOST, YOU ARE ALL SNAKES!

\- Your grace, I beg of you, I had no knowledge of this, I…

-YOU ARE A TRAITOR, I WOULD PUNISH YOU LIKE ONE, SIZE HER

Jaime put his hand in the pommel of his sword but did nothing else, he didn’t move to help her when the guards chained her up to the metal ring nailed to the floor, he didn’t try to save her when the jug of wildfire hit the floor and started burning, he didn’t look at her when the fire caught her.

He focused his eyes on a point at the top of the flames, a crown of jade and emeralds, he heard none of the screams, just the sea waves crashing against rocks, he could see it from his room back in Casterly Rock, he tried to block the smell too but it was too strong to keep it out, it stayed, tainting his fantasy and once it was all over, it lingered.  

 

 

**Ned**

 

They were making their way south on the King’s road at a slow pace, mindful of the injured, when the news reached them, Tywin Lannister was on the move, presumably rushing to reinforce the capital city.

Since Robert was wounded still, it fell to Eddard to lead the rebel army south towards King's Landing, hoping to arrive before the Lannisters.

He didn’t.

 

…………………………………………………

 

Eddard leaned over the railing, looking over the mess of the city below him. The Lannisters arrived mere hours before he did with twelve thousand men, mere hours but it was enough to take away all the honor of their cause.

“And Lyanna isn’t even here”, neither were the Queen or her son but he found Brandon’s squire, Ethan Glover, in the dungeons, he told him about the fate that befell his father and brother. He called what was done to them an atrocity and their dead a tragedy and Ned thanked him for the sentiment and send him to rest.

Everyone spoke of death as if it were tragic, what was tragic was the way to die, if it was painful, if it was cruel, if it was too soon, what was tragic is the grief felt by those left behind, but death on itself was not tragic, it just was, like winter, like night, tragedy was only for the living.

What was done to his family was an atrocity, and so was what was done to Elia and her children, the tragedy would be for her family, and it could ignite another war. And despite that, all he could really think about was his wife. “I must tell her, but I know not how”, but he had to do it now, before leaving.

Elia was Aerys doing but those children's blood would be on the hands of their "new allies" and therefore in theirs. 

As soon as Robert Baratheon arrived in the city he was presented with the bodies of Rhaenys and Aegon by Lord Tywin. Ned called it murder of children, Robert called it war. This resulted in an argument between them like no other before. In the end, it solved nothing, now he was to ride out alone to fight the final battles of the war in the south. He needed to lift the siege of Storm’s End and deal with whatever came after.

 

…………………………………………………

 

He prepared for war but after all the battles he had fought, both big and small he wanted to offer peace first. Lord Tyrell dipped his banners as soon as Eddard and the rebels appeared on the field.

It was in Storm’s End where he received the news, the first purely good, happy news he had in a long time, Brandon’s child was finally born, and it wasn't one but two of them, a healthy boy Catelyn had named Robbard and a healthy girl named Sansa, as per Brandon’s wishes.  

The army made a toast that night, with the barrels of wine Mace Tyrell had _kindly left behind_.

He was in his tent, awake still despite the late hour, there were rumors that Lyanna was in Dorne, but Dorne was big and he had no idea were to begging.

Ethan, his own squire now, was silently sitting by the table, he remembered him as a chatty boy, now he was way too quiet.

\- Ned someone is here to see you – He turned his gaze to his friend Howland at his side was a peasant girl, she looked nervous, her hands shaky, Howland delicately prompted her forward.

\- Do you need anything girl? – she took a breath for courage and spoke

\- I… I ha… have a letter – she said, followed quickly by – for you mi Lord – she extended her hand, still nervous but slightly more confident now, she held a small parchment package. He took it and held it to eye level, there was something inside.

\- Who is it from? – She looked unsure again

\- I don’t know mi lord, mi friend Uma, she was looking for you, she looked for so long, I was following the Army from Dorne mi lord, there’s always good work following armies, I meet her then, she became mi friend, she told me she was looking for Lord Stark, that she had an important message for him. We looked for you after the Trident mi lord, but we couldn’t get close mi lord, then Uma good sick, dysentery, the healing woman from the camp said so. She gave me the letter mi lord, told me to find you.

He opened the package and his body froze, his heart, on the other hand, had never bitten so fast - Thank you, I’m sure it wasn’t easy to follow me all the way here, Ethan, why don’t you find her some food and somewhere comfortable to sleep – He walked towards a small chest on the side of the tent and retrieved a few gold coins – here, a reward for all the trouble - The girl’s eyes opened so wide it looked painful

– thank you mi lord, you're too kind - she took the money and made a bow, Ethan made a gesture for her to follow and both of them left the tent. It was only Howland and him now.

-What is it Ned? – He extended his hand and opened it in front of the crannogmen, there was a silver pin there, in the form of a dire wolf.

\- I gave it to her, there are only two like this, Benjen has the other one

– What does the letter say?

\- It’s not a letter just a piece of a map of the Red Mountains – he showed him the map, there was a bloodstain making a tower

\- It could be a trap

\- It could be – But he had nothing else, just this and what little hope he had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Robb was born a little bit earlier than cannon but again not by much just a few months, it's still the same year.


	10. In Hindsight

**282 A.A.C. – 283 A.A.C.**

**Lyanna**

Benjen just could not see it – _He’s so much fun Lya, I don’t see the problem?_ – Catelyn was no help – _We must all do our duty Lya_ – Father kept listing all the advantages and Ned wanted to believe that Robert would change for her, so she had gone to Brandon instead, thinking he would empathize with her, if not on the subject of fidelity at least on the unwanted match - _You need to grow up Lya, these marriages aren’t about us, we’re doing this for the sake of the North_ – his tone was kind but he looked annoyed and she had been so vexed “Why can’t you understand?” she had thought “You married against your will and now you’re miserable, is that what you want for me?”

Ashara had been the last person she talked to about it and it had felt like a slap in the face – _You have a very naïve understanding of marriage my dear, you don’t need fidelity for a good marriage, you don’t even need love, companionship is all that really matters and Robert makes for a great friend._

She had stopped talking about it after that, too exhausted, too burned out, they all kept discarding her concerns as if they were meaningless, dismissing her feelings as inconsequential, just complains from a young, sheltered girl, too inexperienced, too stubborn to grasp how life works, she just wanted someone to listen to her without believing her silly, but no one did, none except for him.

The first letter arrived on the fifth month of the year with a seal that was not his own, she had been confused but once she read the letter it all made sense.

– A  _friend I made in the south during the tournament_ – she had told maester Luwin went he asked, he believed her friend to be a girl and she did not correct him.

Every letter he sent made her feel a little bit better, like she wasn’t alone, like she wasn’t just some unrealistic fool, he understood.

 ** _“This is not what fate had in mind for you”_** , he wrote, and she made her choice.

_…………………………………………………_

 

When the time came she was ready, she planned every detail, arranged it all on her own, she hid her supplies in a hollow tree trunk a few miles away from Riverrun and told everyone she would go out on a ride, she knocked out her guard with a precise hit to the back of his head and took off towards the agreed meeting place. She had been so proud of herself, she had felt so alive, so strong, so untamed.

They had lived on their horses, racing through the fields, hunting and gathering their own food, sleeping under the stars, it had been glorious - _This is what freedom feels like_ \- she had shouted towards the sky.

They got married just outside Harrenhal, the place where they met, and made love in the woods, she had been so happy.

_“You stupid child”_

 

…………………………………………………

 

When they first arrived to the tower she hadn’t thought much of it, just a place to rest, a retreat, somewhere for them to be alone. When she told him she was pregnant he had sung her a song. It had all felt like a dream, right until it became her nightmare.

_“This is all your fault”_

_…………………………………………………_

 

She had hated Arthur at first, always looking at her with those cold eyes, always trying to make Rhaegar change his mind about her – _This is not the way Rhaeger be reasonable._

Every time he said something like that she would have to reign in her temper “how dare you act as if I offended you?” she had thought “I’m doing the exact same thing your sister did, running off with the man I loved, you were happy for her, why is this any different?” But of course it was different, they didn’t lie, they didn’t cheat, they didn’t start a war.

In her own childishness, she had considered him her enemy at least until she heard him screaming out the events of the world outside the tower to Rhaegar. He had blamed the slip on the overwhelming emotions that came with the news but she had to wonder if he had done it on purpose. Did he do it to open her eyes or did he do it to hurt her? It didn’t matter one bit either way, her father was dead, her brother was dead, the King had asked for the heads of her family and their friends and it was all because of her.

She had run to Rhaegar then and told him they needed to go back immediately, they needed to explain everything, they needed to stop the King, they needed to stop the war, she needed to see her family. It was then that reality came down on her like the pouring rain.

_“How could you be so blind?”_

She was pregnant already, the third head of the dragon, he couldn’t risk the child, she was not allowed to leave, “Was I ever?”

She had argued, she had bargained, she had raged, she had pled and she had begged but he wouldn’t change his mind, he wouldn’t even let her send a message.

-You have to understand, the fate of the world is at stake here, our child will fulfill the prophecy of ice and fire, we must stand strong now

-You are insane! – As soon as she said it his face closed off

-It pains me that you think that my love, I had hoped you would have some faith… well, it doesn’t matter now, maybe with time you’ll see the truth –He didn’t look angry just disappointed and this image of him that up to that point she still held shattered.

 

…………………………………………………

 

She refused to share a bed with him after that and he accepted her rejection with Greece, but he kept trying to _make her see reason_ , like all he had to do was wait it out – The ultimate war is coming Lyanna, and is so much bigger than this rebellion, if we don’t fulfil the prophecy everything will be lost. I know you’re hurting but nothing matters more than this, if we fail now their deaths would be for nothing - She had never felt hate like that before.

-So my family doesn’t matter then, nor the fact that the kingdoms are reaping themselves apart? - She spat, any semblance of cordiality towards him long since lost

-They don’t see it, no one does, you’re all too blind to see what’s important – he answered with badly concealed resentment

-You’re crazier than your father - She knew he hated to hear it, so she made it her mission to tell him every day

 

…………………………………………………

 

On the month that followed she tried to escape twice, “you got yourself in this mess now get yourself out”, the first time she made it all the way to the road before they caught her, the second time she barely made it to the door, she was so furious she actually attempted to kill Rhaegar with a doornail, that failed too but she managed to hurt his face so badly the scar would never disappear, it was petty and, in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential but it had felt like a small victory, right until they locked her up alone in her room, her prison now.

She had a lot more time to think then, everything looked clearer in hindsight and going back through all of her decisions was a painful journey.

All her father ever wanted was to be a good Lord for his people, always putting their needs before his own, he tried to teach them to do the same “And Brandon did, so did Ned but not me”

_“You selfish, self centered brat”_

She had been upset about her match with Robert because she thought he would never be faithful, just to later run off with a married man. Was it really any difference between a mistress and a second wife?

_“Hypocrite”_

He said they were fated to be together, wrote it over and over again in his letters, the letters he started sending right after his wife gave birth to their second and last child.

_“So easy to fool”_

She didn’t want anyone to stop her so she gave no explanations, didn’t even occur to her to leave a note behind so her family didn’t worry, but then again it didn’t even occur to her doing any of the things she did were wrong.

_“Stupid, stupid, stupid”_

She hated Aerys, Rhaeger, the Kingsguars and most of all herself but her brother was out there fighting a war for her, she needed to have hope, she needed to survive this.

 

…………………………………………………

 

The door of her cell opened and Arthur entered to pick up her tray, in her own childishness she had considered him her enemy, now she understood he was her only ally.

The hidden message that had come with her food had been short and vague but it was all she needed. She had left her silver dire wolf pin on the tray, he slipped it in the pocket of his cloak with deft fingers before picking up the tray and exiting the room.

She didn’t know how he planned to do it, he was as much a prisoner as she was but he was her only hope, she needed to have some faith.

It was three days later when she saw them, Arthur and one of the servant girls, Uma perhaps, outside by the well, her window was the only one overlooking that specific area so it made sense to pick that spot, she wouldn’t tell. He gave her a package, presumably a letter and her pin, and then he gave her a long kiss.

Her stomach turned, was that how he was doing it? Seducing some poor fool to do his bidding “Just like Rhaegar did with me”, she walked away from the window and sat on her bed, she felt sick.

_“Deal with it, this is your only chance”_

She had been terrified the others would notice they now had three servants instead of four before Uma could get far enough away, even if she managed to escape she feared Rhaegar would just order them to pack up and change locations. She waited for it but it never happened.

It took her a while to understand but eventually in downed on her. Her father had insisted on them learning the names and faces of all of their servants, he would even invite one of them to dine with the family each night – _Don’t let them be strangers_ \- he had said.

To this southern highborns, one servant girl was indistinguishable from the other. And really, they were all pretty similar looking, the same skin tone, the same hair colour, the same height and around the same age. They were also very quiet and they were never in the same room at the same time.

She remembered eventually that Arthur was the one who picked them, and he was also the one who gave them their chores, “did he had it all plan from the beginning or did he just took advantage of a convenient accident?”

 

…………………………………………………

 

At some point Ser Gerold became a new addition to the tower, she didn't like him any more than Ser Oswell but he told the Prince and his sworn brothers news of the war and Talla was kind enough to repeat them to her, "the rebellion is like wildfire, it cannot be put down". She probably sounded like a madwoman when she started laughing but who actually cared? they all seemed a little bit mad here.

But like always, her joy never lasted long.

She had wanted Rhaegar banished from her sight so desperately but the day he left she wished she could chain him to the wall. He was going off to fight the rebels, all the might of Dorne behind him.

\- _It’s not all of Dorne_ –Told her Arthur on one of the rare occasions he actually spoke – _none of my kin joined, that’s over a third of their forces._

Rhaegar had come to see her before he left, wanting to say goodbye to her and their unborn child and to fix things between them – let’s not part ways like this

-I hope you die – was her only response

 

…………………………………………………

 

It had already been three months since Uma left and still nothing. She knew her brother was in the middle of a war campaign, he was moving from place to place and it would take Uma a lot of time, ingenuity and determination to find him, still she wished she could hurry up and find him already, the pregnancy was taking a toll on her, the farther along she was the weaker she got, Wylla the wet nurse and Serra the midwife both looked at her with the same troubled expression, she knew what it meant even if they wouldn’t say it.

By the end of the seventh month she couldn’t even leave her bed, “Please hurry, I want to go home”. She longed for Winterfell, with the snow, the weirwood and the hot springs, she longed for her family.

 

…………………………………………………

 

By the eight month all she could do was sleep and then sleep some more.

She would dream every night, some dreams she couldn’t remember, some she did, memories of her childhood all scrambled together and shuffled around, glass figurines coming to life and making a riot, walking through the crypts of Winterfell deeper and deeper each time, in those dreams she could hear her father’s voice in the distance and Brandon’s laughter echoing against the walls. Sometimes the dream was different, instead of a voice, she heard screams, instead of laughter she heard wet choking noises.

There was a loud sound of something breaking and she woke up startled.

\- Gerold wants us to move but the midwife says you’ll die for sure, he didn’t like the news, probably broke a chair or something

\- Ser Arthur? – He was sitting next to her bed staring into space and something about him seemed off.

-We got news, Rhaegar fell on the Trident, Robert Baratheon crushed his chest with his war hammer, Tywin Lannister finally decided to choose a side and sacked King’s Landing, Jaime Lannister killed the King – “Good” she wanted to say but didn’t, he didn’t give her the time to do so before continuing - Aerys burned Elia alive when the news reached him, he was still sane enough not to harm the children, it didn't matter in the end, some Lannister soldiers murdered her children, a gift for the new king, no heirs to fight his claim. He’s probably aiming to make his daughter Queen. 

\- Gods… - Elia, the woman she had very selectively forgotten along with her children, all dead now, their names now no more than extra ink in the list of innocent war victims, her list of innocent victims too.

\- I wasn't there to protect any of them - his voice was so flat, she had a knot in her throat, he wasn't there to protect them because he was here with her 

-Rhaegar believed Aegon was the prince that was promised, the saviour of the world, he was so certain, never doubt it not even for a second, he went this far because of that belief, now he is dead, they both are

-I’m so sorry – They were children, just children, and Elia…

-It’s not your fault, I know you think it is but it’s not, you didn’t mean for any of this, you didn’t know what would happen – finally he focused his gaze on her - it was never going to end well, I already knew that but I was expecting a lot of political bridges being burned to ashes not this, the fact that everything went so horribly wrong it’s not on you, it was Aerys who started the rebellion the moment he killed the Warden of the North along with his heir and half a dozen other nobles from the Valle and the Riverlands and then asked for the head of even more, there was no going back after that, you could not have stopped this war and as easy as it would be to blame you, the truth is, you were just a puppet on this grand play.

Her eyes were tearing up, she hadn’t known just how badly she needed to hear that from someone, anyone, even if it fixed nothing, even if she was still half of the reason it had all started, even if she still held some of the responsibility.

They stayed silent for a while, then the thought struck her.

-Do you think they’ll kill my child? – She hadn’t really thought much of her pregnancy for what it really was, at first it was just a way to make Rhaegar happy, then it was the reason she couldn’t go home, later it was an inconvenience to her escape plans, then it was a malady slowly draining her life away.

\- Probably

Rhaegar said it would be a daughter and she had told him it would be a son just to spite him but never thought of it again. Now faced with the horrible reality of what awaited it she finally reflected upon the child, her child, as much hers as it was Rhaegar, perhaps even more so now. “A girl, it has to be a girl, girls are harmless” but being a girl did not help Rhaenys, or Elia for that matter. A madness suddenly came over her, a fire burning from the sole of her feet to the ends of her hair, “No one would hurt my child”

-What happens now ser Arthur?

-I don’t know –She wanted to stay awake, ask more questions, make some plans, but she was exhausted and before she knew it she lost consciousness.

 

…………………………………………………

 

\- Prince Rhaegar gave us our orders, it doesn’t matter if he’s dead we must obey, we will ward the tower, and we would ward his child – she could hear their voices.

\- From her own brother? – Was that Arthur? What was happening?

\- Especially from her brother, we can’t let a rebel take the child away, our loyalty is to the Targaryens Arthur, not the Starks. 

\- We made our vows ser Arthur, now we must honour them

\- Is that how it is then? We kill a good man and call it honour!

\- No, we call it duty

Something was happening, she stood on shaky legs and held on to the window for support, she tried to walk to the door but a dizzy spell took her down and the world exploded in pain.

-Her water! The baby is coming! The baby is coming! - Everything was a blur, people were screaming, or maybe it was her?

-Push my lady you have to push – she was pushing but it hurt, everything hurt. - Your brother is here my dear, he’s come for you, you’ve been waiting for so long, you can’t die now, hold on – Ned was here? She wanted to see Ned

-Neeeed – could he heard her? She wanted to go home, she wanted to apologize, she wanted to live – NEEEEED– She was crying, she was scared.

The pain was unbearable, she sobbed and screamed but it made no difference, the pain wouldn’t abide, she was dying, she didn’t want to die, “no, no, no, please, I want to go home”

 _-Be strong now my child, it’s almost over-_ A voice echoed in her head, the words Father told her the day they buried Mother.

- _Be brave Lya, you’re a wolf_ – Brandon told her that during a storm, he was so young then but the voice in her head sounded like the last time they spoke

-It a boy my lady, you have a boy – a boy, she had a son, “Oh gods please no”, and she was about to leave him all alone, unprotected. Rhaegar had been wrong about so many things, couldn’t he had been right just this once?

-LYA! – Someone was holding her hand

-Ned? Is that you?

-Yes, yes is me, I’m here, I’m taking you home – She couldn’t quite hear him, her ears felt as if she was underwater, her eyelids were heavy

\- I’m so sorry, I never thought… I didn’t mean

-Is alright, I’m here, it would be alright – he said something else, but it was hard to focus, the world was fading - she needs a maester!

– I want to be brave

\- You are, you are - She could hear crying, who was crying?

-My child, you have to take care of him, please Ned promise me, promise me Ned

_-It’s all over now my child, you can rest, I’ll be here when you wake up_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there is this theory that it was Ashara who told Ned where to find his sister and I really like it, maybe I'll use it in a different fic but in this one it wouldn't really work since Ashara is in Winterfell and has no clue what's going on either so I had to give the task to someone else


	11. And The Wheel Keeps On Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it came to my attention that this may be a bit confusing so I'm gonna clear it out  
> \- This is dialogue -  
> A memory of a dialogue would also be in italics  
> "These are thoughts"  
> And when they are in italics they are still thoughts but said at a different time like how it was with Lyanna's chapter
> 
> Words in italics maybe things I'm just trying to stress and words in bold I'm using as writing (like a letter of such)

**283 A.A.C.**

**Ned**

Arthur apologized before dying and Ned told him he forgave him. Lyanna apologized before she died, and Ned told her he forgave her. He wondered who he had to apologize to for not being able to save anyone, he wondered if he would be forgiven too.

Howland removed Ned's hand from her dead one and he wondered, not for the first time, when he had lost the ability to cry.

\- I’m so sorry Ned

The women told him what they knew, she was happy at first, came willingly but she could not leave willingly even if she wished it so, the Prince didn’t want to risk the child so he imprisoned her, she tried to escape but failed, the knights called her princess but never obeyed her, they never hurt her either but the pregnancy was too hard on her, Arthur send the messenger, all four of them helped.

-Why? – He asked

\- He had a sister too – they said, and it was answer enough

Afterwards, he burned the tower to the ground, watching as the flames consumed the wooden beams and the roof came crumbling down. He pulled stones from the ruined tower to make eight cairns for the dead combatants.

He won all the battles but somehow all he did was lose.

\- What’s the plan now? – It was just Howland and him now, “five of my friends are dead”

\- We go to Starfall, I need to return Dawn, we can get some provisions there too.

\- And the child?

\- He’s healthy, he can travel – Wylla had the baby in her arms, the other women he sent home with oaths of silence.

\- That’s not what I meant – he knew what he meant - if Tywin Lannister ever learns of his existence the child is as good as dead - and that Robert won’t do a thing to stop it went without saying, would it be him who gives the order?

_Promise me Ned_

He always kept his promises.

\- Why would he? My bastard son is of no interest to him

-Your bastard? – he repeated confused, Ned turned to face his friend, features calm, eyes steady – yes, of course, your bastard.

They made their way south, towards the Torentine and eventually Starfall.

 

………………………………………………

 

They were on the outskirts of the port town when the guilt and shame for the lie he was about to say hit him like a war hammer. He held on to the reigns of his horse so hard his knuckles turned white.

\- Ned? – Worriedly asked his friend beside him

\- I come with a bastard and a sword, an affair and a murder – Howland remained quiet for a second, thinking

\- Go by yourself, we’ll stay at an inn, we have the coin and the port is big, they have to have a lot of room for all the people that pass by

\- The news would reach them sooner or later, better get it over with

\- On the contrary, I think is better to wait, tell no one of the boy until we reach the North, people would get suspicious if you claim a child from Dorne, where your sister was rumoured to be after being gone for almost a year, right after you came here looking for her, where she died – He was right, and his own relief was just a plus

\- I’ll go alone but I’ll help you find an inn first – he wanted to know where they would be but it would be a lie to say he wasn’t grateful for the extra time, “No affair yet, just a murder”

It was Artos Dayne who received him in his hall, he did so with open arms and kind words and Ned did not forget, not even for an instant, that he killed his son. He gave him the sword, his tale and an apology, and the man put his hand on Ned’s shoulder.

– Vows are a terrible thing, you must keep them no matter what, otherwise you lose all honour, but what if keeping them means you have to do something dishonourable? What do you choose then? How do you choose?

\- He chose to obey but he also chose to help us

\- And then he chose to die fighting

\- Yes – the silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable but it was sombre and it was sad.

\- Thank you, for bringing back the sword

\- It belongs to your family

-You’re family too

 

…………………………………………………

 

The trip back North was uneventful, and surprisingly fast considering they had a baby with them, but when they reached King’s Landing Ned stayed behind. Despite their fight, Robert deserved to hear about Lyanna from his own mouth.

Ned wasn’t going to take the baby to king’s landing after what happened to his sibling though.

\- Take him to Winter Town, wait for me there

\- Do you want me to speak with Ashara? – Did he? It would be safer for her not to know but she was someone he trusted completely, someone he loved, someone he didn’t want to hurt - She could present you with your bastard herself, people would think his mother brought him to Winterfell while you were gone

\- You don’t keep secrets by telling everyone, all it takes is one little slip for the truth to come out and the more people that know the higher the risk of it happening, we can’t tell anyone

\- She’s not just anyone though – No, she was the woman who had moved across the continent just to be with him, the one that knew all of his secrets, the one that told him all of her own, the two of them had gone through so much together by now, over and over again she had proven trustworthy and capable, no, she was no stranger.

He was going to tell Benjen anyway but Lyanna was his sister, then again, she was Ashara’s sister too. It took him a while to make the decision, an entire day really, and maybe he should have thought about it more but he just kept on running circles around his own arguments. What to do? How to choose? What would she do if she knew? Actually, he already knew, “Help me, she would help me because she loves me”

\- Tell her, and tell Benejn too but no one else, keep your identity a secret, make sure no one finds you in the North, the mother took the baby to Winterfell and left it with Benjen and my wife, she is from Dorne so she wasn't quite as bothered with this sort of thing and took the boy in, that would be the story.

 

………………………………………………

 

He expected him to burst into uncontrollable rage, like the storms his homeland was named after, but the storm never came, and without rage, Robert had nothing, an empty shell of a man.

Ned will forever remember that exact moment in time, when something inside his friend broke for good, was it his heart? his faith? his mind?.

He could almost see it, his friend unravelling at the seams, _Time heals all wound_ they say, but even if broken things could be fixed they couldn’t be unbroken, “Would he ever be the same?” he wondered “Would I ever?”

They drank wine in the King’s solar like they did every time they had to share important news but this time there was no laughter, no tales, no nothing, just two men sharing their sorrow and their shame, “We could not save her”.

Morning came sleepless, and as much as they wished they could do anything but, there were things they needed to discuss.

\- Lord Tully is still here right? – Robert scoffed at that

\- He will not leave until he gets a good enough reward for his contributions to the war

\- What does he want?

\- A husband for her daughter

\- Lord Stannis, I presume – He was Robert’s current heir after all

\- Yes, that was his first choice but Jon insists we marry him to a girl from the reach, either a Tyrell to make peace or some other family with claim to Highgarden, to hold it over their heads. He demanded Jon marry his daughter instead

\- Jon? He’s old enough to be her father, he’s is older than her father

\- My thoughts exactly, he must really hate that daughter of his

\- What did Jon say?

\- He agreed, he already has Little Harry but children die in the cradle all the time, he doesn’t want to risk it, besides I’m sure the idea of a young, pretty wife and a son of his own is rather appealing

\- It’s not that much all things considered

\- Oh he wanted a place in the small council too but the only seat left is master of coin and I want you to have it

\- I can’t take any seat, Robert, I must go back to Winterfell, someone has to rule the North until Robbard is of age – Robert grumbled, annoyed

\- Benjen could do it

\- Benjen is four and ten and his dream is to join the Nightwatch, I’m not taking that away from him

-Can’t Catelyn do it? You told me once your people have never been bothered by women ruling the North

-Stark women, Catelyn is no Stark, she’s not even Northern, the people won’t have it, it has to be me – There was a lot more grumbling and a lot more wine but eventually he let it go

\- Fine, fine, have it your way you stubborn mule, where is my fucking seal? It should be here, I’ll name you regent of the North and temporary Warden, your nephew can have the titles back once he’s six and ten – As an afterthought, he added – I’m still not giving him the seat

\- You are the King, that’s your prerogative

\- It’s my prerogative when it concerns anyone else but when it’s you my words don’t matter

– Well, yes – and if that was the first light hearted interaction they had had in months it was only fair they both found it so soothing.

 

…………………………………………………

 

His meeting with Lord Tully was infinitely less pleasant.

Ned told him he needed to send Catelyn and the children back to Winterfell as soon as possible, the heir to the North could not stay so long in the south.

Hoster had been displeased, and had it been just reluctance to send his daughter away from his halls, where he knew her to be safe and surrounded by family, Ned would have forgiven him for his sharpness but the way he phrased it made it sound like he suspected Ned of planning to usurp his own nephew, Brandon’s only son, and although he considered himself a rational, cool headed man, in that one moment he had no shame showing just how much wolf’s blood he had.

\- Is up to you to decide whether or not you send them to Winterfell but beware, my Lord, if you decide not to, I would personally come to retrieve them from your castle, with all of the North at my back, and who knows, maybe the King would be kind enough to join me.

 

 

**Ashara**

After Ned went to war Ashara became a bit… eccentric, she had refused to let her handmaidens help her bath or dress because she didn’t want anyone but Ned to see her naked body, it was a stupid thing to get picky about but she missed him and she would deal with it as she pleased. She had also taken to wearing his coats, it was both resurging and helpful for winter had no mercy for her warm blood, they looked huge on her slim frame though and Benjen had rudely pointed out that they made her look fat, he never said it again, he learned his lesson the first time.

 

…………………………………………………

 

When news came of the victory in the Trident she had wept tears of joy and she and Benjen danced some old Northern tune, like uncoordinated tootlers, while drinking their best icewine.

Weeks later the news came of twins birth and the entire castle got drunk, it was winter already and they couldn’t waste their food but there was wine to spare, Rickard had bought all the extra barrels the for this exact purpose. He had been looking forward to a second grandchild.

The thought made her sad, but she decided to celebrate instead, she didn’t want her memories of the man to be tainted by sorrow.

All things considered, they were doing fine, they moved on and found some peace, good news kept coming and life was right again.

Then news of Elia and her children’s fate came flying with black wings and black ink, and the world was all wrong again.

 

…………………………………………………

 

She had always been a vicious child and she took pride in that fact, it meant that her kindness came as a rare gift and only those she loved were rewarded with it. She had no love for the Targaryens and had Aegon and Rhaenys been anyone else’s but Elia’s she would have given their deaths no second thought, war is terrible and men must become terrible to wage it, and so long as a single Targaryen lived no new King could safely sit the Throne.

Had they been anyone else’s, she would have been fine, but they weren’t, they were Elia’s, Elia whom she loved, Elia who died too, killed by the family she had married into.

She isolated herself in her daughter’s room with only Allyria and Old Nan as company, Bejen would sometimes join her so they could eat together, but he was busy as acting Lord.

The days passed by like this until they turned into weeks, she was tired of losing people, she was tired of feeling like this but life never stops just because you don’t like it, and when the letter from Starfall arrived, she didn’t even have it in her to cry anymore, “I lost a Father, two brothers, a sister and my best friend, what else? What comes now?”

Benjen shed no tears either, maybe he too had run out. They spend the next few days in a bit of a daze, but life keeps going no matter how badly you want it to stop, so when Benjen came to her and told her - Please come out, Ned is on his way back already, he would hate to see you like this – looking so worried, so old for his age, she took a bath, put on her favourite dress and sat beside him during petitions the next day.

She had a lot of time to think, to make peace with things. She was furious at Robert but he was her friend too and she loved him, for that, she could forgive him any words said in anger, no matter how despicable, but her love for Elia would never let her forgive him for letting the monsters that hurt her children go unpunished. Even so, she did not need to forgive him in order to love him, because just like Robert’s, her love too was a cruel, selfish thing, infinite and unshakable. More importantly, they now shared a special kind of bond, their hatred for all Targaryens.

 

…………………………………………………

 

It was about a month after that Howland came

-Ash, Ash, Ashara wake up

\- Benjen? – She looked around groggily – is the middle of the night, what do you want?

\- Come with me, Howland is here, he’s in the Godswood, he has a message, from Ned – Suddenly she was awake, she put on the first cloak she found and followed Benjen out

\- Why is he in the Godswood?

\- He sneaked in, he was waiting for one of us to appear

Sheltered from view by the dark night, he took them to an inn in Winter Town and ushered them inside a room with a girl and a baby, the tale he told them left her head spinning and her heart throbbing.

“You foolish girl, how could you be this stupid?!” she felt the anger taking her over but no sooner it came it faded away. Her love story wasn’t worth all the misery it caused, but there was no point getting angry now, “she learned her lesson the hardest way, and it killed her”, and suddenly the anger was back, vile coming up her throat, for Rhaegar.

“You destroyed us all, Arthur, Lyanna, your own children, you did this! Elia, Rickard and Brandon, that was Aerys’s doing but it only happened because of you, and what did you do? What did you do when he killed the family of the girl you chose over Elia? NOTHING! That’s what you did, nothing, you didn’t try to stop your mad father, you didn’t try to talk with the rebels, you didn’t let Lyanna come back home, you let the world burn until the flames reached you and you could no longer ignore them”

\- If the Lannisters find out about him they would kill him for sure and Robert is too blinded by his rage to do any different – Howland kept saying, unaware of her thoughts

She had always been a vicious child and she took pride in that fact, it meant that her kindness came as a rare gift and only those she loved were rewarded with it. And she and Robert were the same, their love was a cruel, selfish thing, infinite and unshakable, and their hate was just the same as their love, but worse.

\- It would be best for him to be passed as Ned’s bastard, he looks completely Stark, none would suspect he’s Rhaegar's if we don’t give them reasons to.

If he now wanted to plug Targaryen heads from their necks like flowers on a field she was all for it. But this boy wasn’t just Rhaegar’s, he was also Lyanna’s, her sister, whom she too loved, it was an obvious conflict but she knew how to reconcile her heart.

She stood from her seat and took the child from Wylla’s arms with the sort of easiness that came with experience. He looked like Ned.

\- No one would believe that my brother had a bastard Howland

\- But no one would believe your brother capable of telling such a lie

\- There would be no bastard, my friend, I have a much better solution in mind

\- My Lady?

\- No one has seen me naked for several months, I kept wearing Ned’s cloaks that made me look fat, I isolated herself in my quarters for weeks, it’s the perfect cover

\- What are you saying Ash?  

“I would take your dragon Rhaegar and turn him into a wolf, I would claim him, rise him and love him as if he were my own, and then I’ll turn him against you and all of your keen, he’ll reject all things Targaryen, he will spit on your prophesy and all mentions of your name, he will never sit on the Iron Throne nor will he let anyone bearing you name do so either, your child will be my vengeance and you Rhaegar, will have to watch, from whatever hell you are burning in, as I undo your legacy”

 

…………………………………………………

 

Benjen had gone to maester Luwin, for maester he may be, first and foremost he was a Northman and his loyalty was and has always been for the Starks of Winterfell. Ashara, on her part, went to Old Nan, a woman so old nobody even bothered keeping count anymore.

She knocked on her door and entered her room, she slept in a guest room, not the servant quarters and had attendants of her own to look after her - _Well she is very old and although she looks healthy the body becomes fragile with age, better be safe than sorry_ \- that was the only explanation she got from Rickard when they talked about it, it was not what she was asking but it was all the answer she needed.

The woman was sitting in a chair, netting, she kneeled at her feet and took her hands

– What is it, child? – She asked

\- I need your help

Old Nan was no mere servant, she was part of the family, of course they would let her in on the secret, and when they told their tale all the staff would believe it, especially when Old Nan told them she knew all along and confirmed the lie, same with Luwin.

They would know the truth of curse, or so they would think

\- Brandon had a bastard – She told the woman - he fathered him on the Riverlands, Ned found out about him after the war was won, the mother died in labour, Ned asked one of his men to bring him here, to be looked after, to be with his family, but I know, outside of Dorne people aren’t kind to bastards, even here in the North they are not looked upon favourably, and Catelyn would resent the child for sure, that’s not the kind of life Brandon’s son should live, I know you loved Brandon too, so help me make this right, for the sake of his memory

The boy was too young to make the dates match but not by much, it could be easily worked around with a few more lies.

They started spreading rumors, little bits of information that were never quite enough and never really clear. “It would be clear soon enough”

 

…………………………………………………

 

The gates opened and the new regent of the North rode in on his warhorse, the people gathered cheered and shouted for their new heroic ruler.

Ned dismounted his horse and stepped forward and they all kneeled down as protocol demanded.

\- Winterfell is yours brother – came Benjen’s young but booming voice, he was the first to stand and the brothers wrapped their arms around each other in a hug so tight it actually looked painful. When they broke apart they shared a look and a nod, and that was the end of it.

Allyria was shyly picking from behind her leg, unsure, but not for long, shyness was not really in her daughter’s nature and as soon as Ned kneeled down and smiled at her the little girl happily jumped in his arms.

She looked behind her and made a gesture for Wylla to pass her the baby. She moved closer to her husband and cleared her throat.

\- My Lord, I present you to your son Jonnel Stark – He was so astonished he couldn’t utter a word, and she took complete advantage of the fact - I know this is a shock and I apologise for keeping this from you but I was afraid the news would spread, our fates were so uncertain, I wanted to keep the child a secret so that if we lost the war the baby would be spared from Aerys’s wrath, he was born small and sickly but as soon as news of your return reached us he finally got better, just to greet you – she gave him the child and wrapped her arms around his neck - Aren’t you pleased my love? our son is hale and strong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, whether or not he would have told Ashara about Jon is pretty much dependant on whether or not he told Benjen in cannon, we don't really know if he knows.  
> If in the books he didn't tell Benjen then he wouldn't have told his wife either way but if he did then there is a good chance he would have told his wife if he had reason to trust her. And no, being married to her is not reason enough to trust Catelyn, she was a complete stranger to him, not only did he not love her at the time but he also had no idea what she would do or how she would react, of course he would choose Jon's safety over an unknown woman.  
> But here he had been married to Ashara for a while, they have a daughter, he loves her and doesn't want to hurt her, and knows he can trust her


	12. Of Sisters And Mothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And once again we go back a few months with this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE READING ANY FURTHER PLEASE READ THIS!!!
> 
> So I made a mistake :/ the thing is I already had a general idea of how the story was going to go so I often write scenes with no chronological order and later on when I have to put them together I just write the scenes or the entire chapters that go in between, so I had this scene from when I first started writing that I completely forgot about, I thought maybe leaving it out but in the end I decided to just add it, so chapter nine has been edited and the next 2 chapters too but just to adapt to that scene, so you don't need to reread those.
> 
> And if you don't want to reread anything I'll just tell you what the scene is, Elia is not killed by the Lannisters, she was killed by Aerys, Varys had told him about the letter Ashare send Doran telling him what would happen to Elia and the kids if they won and used that as an excuse to burn her alive for treason. 
> 
> Also, since I was already making changes I decided to add to more, small ones:  
> 1) I changed Dyanna Arryn's name to Dyna, Dyanna was too close to Lyana and I was getting confused hahaha  
> 2) Robb was born with a twin and the twin is Sansa. My original idea was to make her younger to make my new timeline match but pairing up an 11/13 year old is creepy enough, doing it with a 9 year old is just... ew no

**283 A.A.C.**

**Catelyn**

She was watching the snow fall through the window, it was winter already but of course she had forgotten, a southern winter had nothing on a northern one, this was practically spring for them.  

-Cat, are you well?- asked Dyna, she had been helping her with the running of the castle since her father left, she was used to the task, how could she not, she had been lady of Riverrun since her mother died when she was two and ten, but pregnancy had a way to make even simple tasks overly complicated, so Dyna had taken it upon herself to help her where she could, though that help too was limited to the whims of little Harrold Arryn.

-I’m sorry, I’m just tired – she reaccommodated herself in her father’s chair, of late every position she took was uncomfortable after a while.

-You have problem sleeping right? Try laying on your side, with a pillow between your legs, it would make it easier - Dyna offered with a friendly smile

\- thank you, I’ll keep it in mind – her comfort wasn’t really the reason she couldn’t sleep, it was the grief but there was nothing to do about that, they both knew, the two of them widows at such a young age. It had brought them together, the lost, the uncertainty of their future, of their children’s future, children that would grow without their fathers and a legacy that, for now, was hanging over their necks like an executioner’s ax.

-The snowing is getting worse, this may slow the war down – commented Dyna worriedly – could this put us in a disadvantage? We already have fewer men than them, how many will succumb to the cold – to this Catelyn could only smile and turn again to look at the snow fall

\- you forget that our enemies come from farther south than us, if anyone is going to succumb to the cold is them, yes, our summer knights may suffer but must of our army is from the North, they would thrive in the weather. Who knows? Maybe the snow would grant us the victory.

-I hope the seven hear you – “I hope the old gods do” thought Cat “the North doesn’t believe in the seven"

Silence reigned over them again, even the sound of quills over paper quiet down eventually. She could see people in the courtyard, more than there should be thanks to her little brother. Soft, kindhearted Edmure could not stand the thought of his people suffering both a war and a winter so whenever someone came looking for shelter he opened the doors. She tried to explain to him how much trouble it would cause if they got sieged but he was stubborn as a mule and at the end of the day, no matter how much younger than her he was, he outranked her. She couldn’t even bring herself to be mad at him, not on this, not for having a good heart, she just hoped the decision didn’t come back to hunt them.

“So many decisions lately had come back to hunt us” the stab to the heart she felt at the thought came unwanted but not unexpected, she knew that Brandon was a wound that would forever linger.

\- Cat darling, you’re doing it again

-What am I doing?

-Staring at nothing

-I’m sorry I just…

-I _know_ Cat, nobody knows better than me what you have gone through, you don’t need to give me explanations, I have bad days too, go, have some air, I can take care of this

-It’s not fair of me to leave you to do my work Dyna, right now I’m the Lady of Riverrun, I must do my duty

-You’re over six months pregnant Cat, you’re allowed some leeway - answered the woman with an easy tone 

-You have a year old boy, you get some leeway too

-Harrold is asleep and I need something to distract me, but if you insist on doing your duty as Lady Tully there is someone you should pay a visit to- she gave her a meaningful look as she took a handful of papers away from her

\- She doesn’t want to talk to me, she doesn’t want to talk to anyone- she answered tiredly

-Then make her, it doesn’t matter what she wants, what matters is what she needs, and she needs to get out of her room, whatever is happening to her is not going to get any better if she locks herself away to do nothing but cry day and night

– I know, and I’ve tried, but she just won’t talk to me

\- Then talk to her instead – then her face went from fierce to soft- I have seven sisters, all as similar and different as only sibling could be, I can not tell for sure that I know every single thing about them, or that I always know how to talk to them, what’s the right thing to say and what isn’t but when something is wrong I always make sure they know I’m there. I don’t know your sister Cat but you do, talk to her, if at the end that still doesn’t work at least let her know she is not alone. 

And so she went, through hallways and stairs until she made it to her destination. The people in Riverrun thought Lysa was like this because her father went to war, none of them knew the real reason for her misery, her father made sure of that. Cat herself only knew because of Brandon.

It was the day after they first announced her pregnancy, when they first realised Lyanna was missing, they looked for her all over the castle before they decided to look for her outside, fearing she might have suffered a riding accident. It was Brandon who found them in Petyr’s room, he had no interest in what her sister and childhood friend were doing so he moved on to the next room, but her father was there with him, and he had no interest in continuing the search after what he had just witnessed. Petyr left Riverrun that same day and Lysa wouldn’t stop crying ever since.

She didn’t know how far they had gone, Brandon didn’t give her any details, he had a sister to look for and wasn’t going to waste his time in useless gossip, but Cat wanted to believe that Lysa had better sense than to lose her maidenhead like that.

Despite the tears, it wasn’t so bad, but just a few days before her father went to fight the royal forces Lysa locked herself in her room. Cat feared their Father, in a moment of rage, had said something to Lysa that was just too much for her, she had always been a such a sensitive child. She had tried to comfort her then, but all her attempts had fallen short, her world had just fallen apart and she didn’t have it in her to comfort anyone at the time, so she let it go, and how she regretted it now, Lysa spent the last few months behind doors.

She knocked on the door and waited, she knocked again… and again.

-Go away

-Lysa, please open the door

-Did you not hear me, I said go away – She considered it for a moment, to give her the space she wanted, but she had months of space, Dyna was right, space was not what she needed. She left her room and made her way back to her father’s workroom, Dyna lifted an eyebrow when she saw her but Catelyn didn’t give her the time to talk, she opened a drawer from the desk and retrieved a set of keys before leaving the room again. This time she didn’t bother knocking, she just opened the door.

She was sitting on her bed with puffy red eyes and shaking shoulders, she looked thinner than ever, her skin was pasty and her hair greasy, their eyes met and after a second of confusion her face twisted into something ugly – Get out, you’re not allowed to be here, get out

-No, you’ve been in here for months now, enough is enough – no answer came, her sister had just turned her face towards the opposite wall and kept it there - I’m sorry I left you to suffer on your own, we’ve all been through a lot, but I won’t do that any more

-I want you to leave

-I won’t leave

-Why not? – she asked in a tone that was getting dangerously close to rage

\- Because you’re obviously not well

\- What do you care?

\- How could you say that? Of course I care, you’re my sister – and once more all she got was silence – you need to eat, and wash, you can’t keep this up – nothing, Cat signed and continued talking - the baby would be here soon Lysa, please, I want you there – that seemed to do the trick, but not in the way she was hoping for

-And you always get everything you want, don’t you? – her voice was soft but there was something so very sharp about it, it made Catelyn feel cold - Beautiful Cat, intelligent Cat, funny Cat, perfect Catelyn, everyone loves you, everyone wants you, it’s always about you, WHAT ABOUT ME?! Why am I always second best, not even best just second, always “the other one”, the one they all set aside and forget – As she talked she got out of the bet and stood in front of the older girl, with her red eyes and now flustered face hiding away the paleness of her skin - Why can’t they never want me?! What is it about me that is so impossible to want?! You get the love, the attention, THE BABY, WHAT DO I GET?! WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU, YOU, YOU…

_SLAP_

She didn’t even mean to slap her, this poor little girl that she loved with all her heart, but anger wasn’t just for the wolfs. When she spoke, her voice was ice cold and perfectly even.

\- My husband is dead, his father is dead, his sister is missing, the king called for my head, the heads of my new family, and now our father and uncle are out there risking their lives, do you think that’s what I wanted?

\- Get out- said Lysa in a very small voice, with teary eyes and red cheeks, one redder than the other. She turned around and sat on her bed, her back to Catelyn.

Catelyn didn’t leave, she thought about, it seemed prudent to take some time and let their heads cool, but she didn’t dare, a door had been open, no matter how unintentionally, so even if she disliked what she could see on the other side, she needed to walk through. She sat on the other side of the bed her back to Lysa.

\- You were just ten when mother died, you were too young to be the Lady of the castle, you were too young to be a mother for Edmure, the thing is, I wasn’t that much older than you, but I was the oldest, so I played sister and mother and Lady, I wanted to morn, I wanted to play outside and have adventures, I wanted to be a child, but I couldn’t do any of those things, I had a duty to my family, making sure you were alright, raising Edmure, organising the servants, keeping the accounts. It was not what I wanted but I let myself find joy in the knowledge that I was doing it for the family I loved – she took a deep breath and tried her best to turn her thoughts to words.

\- When father announced I was to marry Brandon Stark I was scared, Winterfell was so far away, their ways so different from what I knew, but I always did my duty, so I thanked father for the match and prepared myself for it, I told myself I would be happy, and when I met Brandon I thought that would be true, I dreamed of the live we would have together, how happy we would be, I knew I loved him, I loved him so much, I wanted to be the perfect wife for him, and you know what? I wasn’t, nothing I did was right, the way I did things, the way I spoke, the way I dressed, the way I prayed, every single thing I learned growing up, it was all wrong, Lord Rickard was patience and helpful but despite wanting an alliance with the south, he didn’t want a southern Lady running his castle. Benjen and Lyanna were young and sweet and they welcomed me with open arms, but I was so foreign to them, Eddard was the only one who truly accepted me the way I was, but he always kept his distance, and Brandon? He was so kind to me, so charming and perfect, and he didn’t love me, and every day that passed my dream died a little – the memories tested bitter when they passed her lips, she felt so lonely in those first few months, all the Starks had been so nice to her and yet, she just didn’t fit in

\- So I tried to change, I tried to learn anew, and it felt like a betrayal, to my family, to my home, to my very own gods. And then Ashara Dayne came, and she was everything we were thought not to be, and I wanted to protect my family from her, to protect Ned, the only person that was ever on my side, but they didn’t want my protection, not from her. I tried so hard for so long to make a place for myself in Winterfell, I fought tooth and nail for every inch, and there she came and they all loved her. It hurt, it hurt so much – she hadn’t helped the situation much, she felt threatened and got defensive, how easier would things had been if she had tried to be more open, more unprejudiced? How many letter had Ashara send already? Trying so hard to give her what little comfort she could, there was no way for her to know how honest her intentions were, not at the time, but it was more she had ever given the woman credit for.

\- But then things started to change, the lords seemed a lot more at ease with me, Lord Rickard was more welcoming to my ideas, Ben and Lya would come to me for comfort and advice and Brandon was so different as well, I can’t explain it, nothing much changed there, but everything was better, easier, we were happy, he was happy with me, and I thought that my dream was alive again. When the maester confirmed the pregnancy, he swept me off my feet and spun me around in the air, told me I had given him the best gift of his life. We talked names, Robbard for a boy, Sansa for a girl. It was perfect, how it was meant to be, and then everything fell apart – she closed her eyes, trying in vain to keep her pain at bay

\- So you see Lysa, I don’t always get everything I want, I hardly ever do, nevertheless I always tried to make the best of what I got, but right now I don’t know how, all the possibilities seem too bleak, If we lose the war we’re all death, if we win the ones that died already won’t stand up from their graves, my Brandon would still be gone, my family would still be broken.

She waited, for what felt like forever, she didn’t know what she was going to get, if she was going to get anything at all, but she waited until Lysa spoke.

-He was so drunk that night, I helped him get back to his room, and then he kissed me, we had kissed before, we had lay together before, like man and woman, when your wedding was announced, but he never touched me again after that – Catelyn was so shocked at the revelation that for a moment she forgot how to breath, she turned around so she could look at her sister but made no other move

\- so when he kissed me, I was so happy, I thought he wanted me, like I wanted him, and I told him how I felt and he said he felt the same, and then he called out your name, he thought I was you, so when he passed out I stayed, I cried myself to sleep but I stayed, I thought that when morning came and he saw me, _me_ , not _you_ but _me_ , he would finally understand, it was me who loved him, it was me he should love, but morning came and that didn’t happened, he saw _me_ and he looked horrified, and then Brandon opened the door and father saw us, and he was so mad but Petyr kept looking like me being there was worse than father knowing what we did, and then he was gone, I wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye – she could see Lysa curling up in to herself, her already broken voice breaking into sobs

– but my moonblood never came after that, and I thought “I could have this, even if father send Petyr away, even if he didn’t love me, even if he didn’t want me, I could have this child, the child of the man I love”, but not even that I could have, not after father found out – And suddenly Catelyn understood, with horrifying clarity, what had happened to her poor little sister – He made drink Tansy, I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to but he made me, my baby is dead now, he killed my baby

The last words were just too much for her and she break up crying, Catelyn stood with some difficulty and walked around the bed towards Lysa, her broken little sister who wanted so desperately to be loved, she sat beside her and hug her.

– Oh Lysa, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry

 

……………………………………………………

 

Her father returned some weeks before the birth, he had been terribly wounded at Stony Sept and was still bedridden.

There were no words between him and Lysa no matter how many times she tried to make them talk. She also didn’t know how to feel about her father’s actions. She understood his reasoning of course but that didn’t make it any easier.

News of the battle of the trident arrived with a rider so exhausted both horse and men fainted, but not without sharing the good news. The relive she felt was so great she cried, and so did Dyna.

The birth itself came and it was a painful thing, like nothing she had ever experienced before, but it came and went without much trouble, Dyna was there with her and so was Lysa, and in her arms lay a beautiful boy, and a beautiful girl, two babies instead of one, both with her blue eyes and a wisp of auburn hair.

\- His name is Robbard

-And her?

-Sansa

And for one moment, a beautiful, perfect moment, the world wasn’t quite so bleak anymore, there was life in it, a new beginning. They were winning the war, her family was still alive and she had Brandon legacy in her arms.

 

………………………

 

 

And then the war was won and Lord Tully left for King’s landing, and then things seemed to spin out of control once more.

Uncle Brynden arrived, some weeks later with unpleasant news, the type she couldn’t quite get her head around.

\- No! no, I’m not doing it, he is older than father and he already has an heir – Dyna flinched at her words and pulled baby Harrold, who was happily resting in her arms, closer to her chest.  

\- My Lord uncle is a good, honorable man, he would be kind to you Lysa – she was trying to sound reassuring, but the tightness of her face betrayed her, her son was meant to have the Valle.

Lysa was going to marry Jon Arryn, Father called it a good advantageous match but Cat suspected he intended it as punishment. She spent the next hour awkwardly trying to console her.

\- Well, you said yourself – added Edmure happily- he already has an heir so you don’t really have to do anything with him – it was of course, the wrong thing to say.

-So I should never have children of my own? Is that what you’re are saying?!

\- Well… I mean… no?

There was more news, but her uncle waited until they were all gone to share them with her.

-Father must have misunderstood, Ned is not that kind of man, he would never try to usurp his nephew, he loved Brandon, they were as close as brothers could be

\- Cat, he convinced the king to give him regency of the North

\- He would have had regency of the North either way, none of their lords would ever follow me, not with two grown men with the name Stark still alive, even without them, they would just take the children from me, they don’t trust Southerners

\- That doesn’t alleviate my worries much, the children won’t be put aside, great, but what about you?

-I go where my children go, but you cannot come with me

-Cat…

-No! listen to me uncle I know you worry for me and I thank you but there is no need, Winterfell is Robb’s home, Sansa’s home, the Starks are their family, there is no safer place for them, I don’t need you there with me, but if you insist on looking after your nice then I’ll ask this of you, go with Lysa – he signed, he knew the argument was lost

\- Very well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking so long but I was in my last year and I had to write my thesis in order to graduate, it was a LOT of work, there was field work and lab work and graphics and charts and then I had to write it all, I just didn't have the time to do any writing for the fic.  
> I presented my thesis in July (And it went great! yeeeeei) but after spending over 3 months writing, rewriting, reading, rewriting over and over again I really needed a break from my computer.  
> I was going to start updating as soon as August started, I already had a few chapters I wrote back in April but they were all half done and I kind of forgot were I was going with them so it took a little longer hahaha


	13. Him Who Falls, Him Who Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of conversations happen in this one, no seriously, people mostly just talk

**283 A.A.C.**

 

**Ashara**

Once Ned got over the shock he played his part as best as he could, which was surprisingly well for a man who never lied.

Several Lords had come with him, along with their men and Ashara, Benjen and Ned spend the better part of the day allocating them. A white raven had come announcing the coming of spring, hopefully a real one this time, but It was winter still and both the castle and the town were brimming with people, smallfolk from all over their lands asking for shelter, and receiving it as was tradition. The Starks protected their people in Winter.

And every so often, they ran out of room.

It was a good thing that Lord Rickard had spend the last year before the war repairing the broken tower, building a new one and expanding the glass gardens – _the population is growing_ – Lord Rickard had told them all before her wedding – _That means we’ll have more people to shelter in winter_ – Well, he had been right.

They had food plenty at least, the expansion of the glass gardens came along with some remodelling, adding levels to the green beds for plants that needed warmth but not so much light, and extra pots hanging high from the ceilings, now their harvest was four times bigger, and that was barely enough to feed all the people in Winterfell for the duration of their stay, send the appropriate among of rations to the people in Wintertown and give their guest some provisions for the trip back home 

It had truly been a learning experience the way the whole system worked, some people already had family living in town that would accommodate them, some even owned houses they only used in winter, but for the rest it was a little more complicated. The “richer” smallfolk, the ones with the means to carry carts of food and other necessities with them, got assigned houses in town and, if the situation called for it, received a certain among of rations. The poorest of the peasants came directly to the castle with whatever food they could carry on their person and were lumped all together in either the first keep or one of the towers, and when that wasn’t enough, the guest rooms in the great keep. They gave all their food to the Starks and the Starks fed them with the small offers, their granaries and their gardens. They also oversaw the distribution of jobs, it wasn’t a good idea to let so many people sit idle for too long, or so the Luwin told her.

The whole thing was a ridiculous among of work and she couldn’t wait for winter to end, or at the very least for Catelyn to come back and take charge. She really didn’t have the type of methodical and meticulous mind for that kind of job.

Once everyone had a full stomach and a bed she and Ned settled in their room, but not exactly to rest. They needed to talk, obviously, but there were so many things to talk about, so many subjects neither of them wanted to touch. They started with to most immediate one, also the easiest, all things considered, their new _son_.

He knew her well enough to be a bit suspicious, so before he could even ask she gave him all the details. Better to start this on the right note, still he had doubts.

\- What are you scheming Ashara?

\- What? I thought you wanted the boy looked after – she said nonchalantly

\- But to go this far? There was no need

\- Of course there was need Ned, there are too many loose ends, even if the girls from the tower say nothing, can you say for sure they were the only ones that knew about the pregnancy? Servants know more than their masters give them credit for, but they don’t know everything, what if Rhaegar told some else? Or what if the girls slip and talk? Not everyone would make the connection between a half Stark dragon and the bastard of the honourable Eddard stark but someone will, they may have no proof but all you really need is doubt to get the people talking, it would be our doom, there are those who would believe anything, there are those who would try anything, and there are those who would take no chances, like Tywin Lannister. No, this way is safer, I don’t want him to lose his head and I don’t want another war – “and more importantly I don’t want another Targaryen in the throne, not even one half Stark” but of course there was no need to say that – Besides, how else are you going to explain it if the boy’s eyes change to purple? The only places you could possibly find purple eyes among the commoners is Old Town, Starfall, the Crown Lands and Dragon Stone and you weren’t in any of those places at the right time, same with Ben

\- Why say he’s Brandon’s then? If you were going to swear them to secrecy anyway, what was the point of that?

– Layers over layers, that’s how padded armour works, it’s just linen yet it can stop a steal sword, a lie over a lie would do the same trick, if someone uncovers the first one we still have Brandon.

\- And if his eyes _do_ turn purple?

\- He must have been in the Crown Lands at least two days before being arrested – he kept his eyes on her, unwavering, calculating.

\- You do understand what this means right? He would now be our firstborn son, he will inherit the Claws no matter how many more sons we have

And alright fine, she didn’t really think of that but in her defense, things were done differently in Dorne, this wouldn’t be a problem there, Allyria would have just inherited first as it was her right.

She had prepared herself to that reality, a son always came before a daughter outside of Dorne but she wasn’t even going to steal the birthright of her daughter so her brother would have it, she was going to steal the birthright of her daughter and all of her future children so someone else’s son would have it.

\- You could change the laws? – he gave her a pointed look – Not everywhere, just in the claws, make it so the firstborn inherits first as a gift to your Dornish wife

\- It’s not that easy Ash, I’m not Brandon!

And wasn’t that the horrible truth? Ned didn’t possess Brandon’s easy laugh and smooth voice, but it was more than that, Brandon had something about him, beyond his handsomeness, beyond his charm, there was a certain allure to him that made people want to follow him, even when at times he wasn’t worthy of their love and admiration, even the people that hated him craved his attention. It gave him the most unfair advantage in the game, he knew it and used that advantage without guilt, he always got what he wanted from people, careless of their feelings, unless of course, you had the protection of his love.

Ned wasn’t Brandon and although he did seem to have a touch of that “something”, it wasn’t the same, he inspired loyalty, not blind devotion and it was blind devotion what he would need to get it done without half the North freaking out about how much influence she had, even if otherwise they wouldn’t have been bothered by the decree.

-We could ease them into it

-Maybe, but if it doesn’t work, are you prepared to give the claws to Jonnel when they’re not rightfully his?

\- I am – she said with ardour “I would give him anything if it means Rhaegar’s son doesn’t get the throne”

They could talk about this the entire night, and maybe they should, but in the silence that followed both could see that there was no point, it was done and it couldn’t be changed, so they moved on to another conversation they didn’t want to have but had no way of ignoring, this subject was practically a stepping stone for it.

Arthur, who had looked after her since the day she was born, Arthur, whom she always trusted and relied on, Arthur, who helped Rhaegar abandon his wife and children and take Lyanna, Arthur, who kept her imprisoned in that tower, Arthur, who chose to fight Ned to the dead instead of just letting him reach his sister, Arthur, who chose the Targaryens over her.

She wanted to mourn him but she was too angry, she wanted to forgive him but she didn’t know how, she was stuck between the anger and the grief, between feeling sympathy and betrayal. And what should she even feel about Ned? the man she loved, the man who killed her brother.

\- Did you have to kill him? – And wasn’t that just the cruelest thing she could have asked? She had never been cruel to him before, she didn’t want to be cruel to him ever again, but what could she do at this moment other than ask?

She wanted to forgive Ned, what he did he did with good reason, but her pain was beyond reason. Her brother’s corpse stood between them, watching. 

\- What do you want me to say? – he asked, heartbroken

\- The truth, just the truth – “just give me something” she though in desperation, “So I don’t hate him, so I don’t hate you”

\- I didn’t know he was the one who sent me the message, but I don’t think it would have made a difference either way, I tried to make them stand down, they didn’t. – his gaze glazed over, his hands became fist - He was serious as he fought, but he hesitated when he could have killed me, it cost him his life, Howland tripped him and gave me an opening. – a pause, probably a memory, unwanted and uninvited - He died in my arms, he apologized, he didn’t ask for forgiveness he just apologized, I told him I forgave him, that you did too and he laughed, I don’t think he believed me – The wet sob that escaped her lips was a surprise, she didn’t know she still had it in her to cry.

-Why did he do that?! Why didn’t he help her get out? why didn’t he let you pass? Why did he choose to fight and die when he could have just joined you?! Why did he choose _them_?

\- He made a vow – he said, sad and defeated

-To hell with his vows! If he was so adamant about keeping them why didn’t he kept the ones he made when he became a knight? Protect the innocent, defend the weak, uphold the good, stand against injustice! What happened to that?! What’s good and just about any of this? The vows he made to the Targaryens weren’t worth honouring, the Targaryens weren’t worth his life – it all came back to the Targaryens after all, but now she knew how to forgive them, same way she forgave Lyanna, she just blamed someone else, the ones who deserved all the blame.

 

 

**Catelyn**

Her Father and his bannermen arrived just days after uncle Brynden, Lord Arryn riding by his side, strong and graceful despite his age. He had the face of an old man though, and there was no hiding that.

Dyna and the Valle guards that had first come with her welcomed him at the gates, she greeted her uncle with kisses, smiles and baby Harry in her arms. Her sombre mood completely forgotten now that the war was over and a letter from Jon Arryn assured her that her child would be the Keeper of the Gates of the Moon if his marriage proved fruitful.

Things had been a bit awkward between them for a couple of days after the announcement of the betrothal but Dyna was by nature a very lighthearted woman, more inclined to smiles and jokes than most, she didn’t have it in her to take things to heart or held on to grudges. It seemed that not even losing a husband and the title of Lady of the Eyrie was enough to keep her good spirits down.

An uncomfortable Lysa was presented to Jon Arryn and then they moved on. The wedding was to take place that same day, Lord Arryn had duties as Hand of the King and couldn’t be away for long.

Her father wanted a conversation with her, it was the same one she already had with her uncle so she decided it could wait, and it was a good thing she did, it gave her the time to speak with Dyna.

\- It was the King’s idea to make the regency official, Robbard would get all the titles back once he comes of age – she hesitated for a moment before continuing – Your father was with the Grand maester when Lord Jon went to ask him to copy the document and archive it, he was displeased at the new development and went to talk with Robert – She made a pained face at that – You don’t know Robert the way I do, he can be so incredibly loyal and kind, he also has a horrible temper and the opposite of patience, he threatened to take your father’s head if he kept complaining, so when Ned went to talk to your father he was already in a bad mood, I don’t know what he told Ned exactly but apparently he accused him of wanting to usurp his nephew, Ned didn’t take it well

\- Yes, I expected something like this – She said that but in truth, a part of her was much more at ease knowing it was indeed a misunderstanding

 

…………………………………

 

Her conversation with her father went as expected. She told him she would return to Winterfell, alone, he wasn’t pleased, but now she had someone willing to help her defend her decision  

-He threatened to take the children by force!

-You accused him of betraying the family he just fought a war for - intervened her uncle

-So he answers with threats instead of explaining himself?!

\- Are you surprised? last time someone took a member of his family from him he answered with a rebellion, and he won, how exactly did you think he was going to react to it happening again?

Her uncle was quite cross with Lord Tully, there was nothing new there but this time around it wasn’t about his refusal to get married, apparently his brother only gave him pieces of the story, now that he knew all the details he was finding a sick sort of amusement in throwing it at his face that he was the one unnecessarily making enemies.

\- There is no need to fight over this, my place is with my children and their place is in Winterfell, we’ll leave tomorrow after the wedding – She would not hear more of it, what she really wanted to talk about was Lysa after all

\- You think I do this to punish her, I do not, I’ve been looking for a good match for her for years now, one as good as your, she put all those plans in jeopardy for a boy so far below her station he may as well be a servant, I did my best to ensure it wouldn’t leave the castle but what if it does? I must secure her position before that happens, with Stannis out of the question this was the best possible match for her. It’s all for her Cat – Before she could answer uncle Brynden snorted, he wasn’t having it and so the arguments started again.

She wondered if her father had bothered to tell Lysa any of this, she could of course, but wouldn’t it have more weight coming from his lips?

 

…………………………………………

 

She brushed Lysa’s hair before staking it all up like a puzzle, northern girls wore it down but the south had a different style. Her sister was quiet, absentmindedly playing with the hem of her dress.

-It’s almost time Lysa – The girl nodded but said nothing more. Catelyn signed and walked around the chair so she could kneel before her

\- Lysa look at me – Big blue eyes focused on her anxiously, she had never been good at looking people right in the eye – I know you’re scared, I understand, but you have nothing to fear, Jon Arryn is a kind man, he would be good to you, and you would be the Lady of the Valle, only the queen would outrank you, and one day one of your children would be Lord Paramount, Protector of the East, so keep your head up high and do your duty, you would thrive in the Valle

-You really think so?

-I know so

 

…………………………………………

 

The wedding came and went without a hitch, Lysa looked beautiful and the feast was full of people in great spirits. Catelyn danced with a few men, and talked with several more, they all gave condolences and congratulations, she soon grew tired of it, so she opted to sit by her uncle. they talked for a while, about everything and nothing, until they reached her arrangements for her journey.

\- Let me escort you to Winterfell at least, the roads are not safe yet, from there I can take a ship from White Harbour to the Valle – A part of her wanted to insist on him going with Lysa all the way, but she had Dyna to keep her company on the journey, along with several Vallemen. She had her own guards of course, but no one to talk to, would it be too selfish of her to keep her uncle by her side for a little bit longer?

\- I’ll appreciate it, thank you

The next day Dyna took a morose looking Lysa to the Valle, where she would stay until the King’s wedding.

Catelyn moved North with her children, her uncle and twenty Tully guards

 

……………………………………………

 

They arrived at Winterfell just a sennight after Ned and the Northern Lords did, everyone had gathered at the courtyard the welcome their future Lord. She exited the wheelhouse with Robb in her arms, while a maid held Sansa, and crowd kneeled for her son.

Ned was the first to approach her

-My Lady, I hope you had an easy journey

\- We did, thank you, you already know my uncle Ser Brynden Tully

\- We met yes – he turned his attention to her uncle for a moment – Ser, welcome to Winterfell – the knight gave a polite nod and Ned focused on her once more – may I? – he asked with a hopeful look on his face

Catelyn passed the boy to him and watched in marvel as his face went from severe to soft in just a second, he gave the child a finger to hold on to and a smile when he did just that, and for a moment there, he looked as if he was about to cry.

-Let me see her – came an excited voice from behind her, Benjen and a tinny tootler that could only be Allyria had already broken the line and were pushing for the maid to hand over the baby in her arms, the girl sent her a look, asking for permission, and she gave her a quick nod. Benjen took Sansa in his arms and bend down so Allyria could see

\- Lady Catelyn – She turned at the sound of her name, Ashara Dayne in all her beautiful glory stood there. The woman gave her a curtsy, something she had never done before and spoke again – I’m so sorry for your lost, my Lady, I’m sure Brandon would have been overjoyed with the twins

\- Thank you – she couldn’t say more, she knew her voice would break if she did

-Let’s take you all inside, you must be tired

Ashara took Allyria in her arms and walked back into the castle with Cat and Brynden, Ned and Benjen exchanged babies and followed, while a few servants took care of her guards.

They were taken to the nursery and as soon as they entered she heard a cry, but it wasn’t one of hers, nor was it Allyria.

-Oh dear, did we wake you –  said Ashara as she reached inside a crib, she lifted a brown haired child into her arms that immediately went quiet – Well, may as well introduce you, this is Jonnel my son, see Jon? You have two new friends now

– Your son? - Something cold went down her spine then, all the warnings from her father blaring inside her head

\- Yes well, with the war an everything I thought best not to spread the news, you know, just in case… - she moved a hand in the air as in explanation.

The baby was back in the crib along with Robb and Sansa, Ned and Benjen hovering over the children, happily watching them babble at each other and reaching out with tiny hands, Allyria demanded, in that half language tootlers have, to be put inside the crib with the other kids and Brynden was kind enough to grant her wish after taking off her shoes.

\- He’s a few months younger than Robbard I guess, they’ll make good playmates

Her uncle appeared amused with the scene, it was beautiful really, children laughing and playing, blissfully unaware of the rest of the world.

She trusted Ned, she truly did, but could she trust Ashara?

 

………………………………

 

She went to pray as soon as she was able to, hoping to find some peace of mind with her gods. The Sept was a wooden structure, beautifully built, on the outside the Sept was the size of a house, but over half of it was the Septon’s living quarters, so the Sept was really just the size of a room. The small size didn’t matter much really, she was the only one who followed the seven in Winterfell, there was more than enough space for her, the Septon and the seven white statues.

She kneeled before the Mother, “keep my children save” and then before the Crone, “give me guidance”. She was just leaving when her uncle appeared at the entrance

\- This wasn’t here when you got married was it?

\- Brandon had it built for me, the Septon is from White Harbour – she nodded towards the man taking out weeds from a flower bed at the entrance of the Sept.

When she first met the Septon she suspected that Lord Manderly sent him as a slight against her, with time she understood it was the complete opposite and it had nothing to do with her. He didn’t want to slight the Starks, sending a man of great devotion would no doubt create tension, he didn’t even need to be a religious fanatic to cause trouble, so Lord Manderly sent the less religious Septon he could find, a man who only joined the order to guaranty food, clothing and shelter for his future.

\- It kind of gives me the creeps, the red eyes are quite disturbing

\- It takes a while to get used to, but this is how the Manderlys worship the seven

\- You’re not a Manderly Cat

\- No, I’m supposed to be a Stark, but that too took a while to get used to

 

 

**Ned**

They held a modest fest to welcome his nice and nephew and they all thanked the gods that most of the Lords had opted for sending their men ahead of them while they waited for their future Lord Paramount. Their food reserves should hold for a few more months, just in time for the next garden harvest, but that wasn’t going to be the case if they kept having to feed so many people for much longer.

One by one the Lords pledge their loyalty to House Stark and Robb, each taking the time to take a good look at Brandon’s offspring.

The children were received warmly and loudly, their people had loved Brandon dearly after all, but there were a few slightly disappointed about their look, Tully colours. Fortunately, there were men among them old enough to remember Brandon as a child

-He looks just like he did, the colours are all wrong but that’s definitely his face, the girl too, long and sharp, Stark features

He was thankful for the comment, loud enough to be heard above the noise of those complaining, but Catelyn had flinched regardless.

Once the last Lord had his turn he stood up to address the guest, thank them for their loyalty, acknowledging those who stood out with their deeds. It was just the beginning of a long list of things he needed to do now that the war was over, paying the soldiers being the most urgent.

Winning the war meant that much of the expense was covered by the losing side, which had more than enough wealth for it, but some expenses still fell in their lap and despite their new and lucrative income, they didn’t really have that much money, most of every coin that entered their coffers left almost immediately. Raising and rebuilding towers, expanding the gardens, constructing new houses and erecting new walls around Wintertown, restoring Moat Cailin, building glass gardens high up in the mountains for the Clansmen. They had the founds the pay the men, but they were going to drain their coffers in order to do so.

To be frank he had been rather baffled how they still had any coin left after all that, even with all the extra gold they now had, until he realized they had been using _all_ the extra gold they now had, his Father had been paying the “wrong” amount of taxes for the last 20 years.

He still couldn’t understand how nobody had found out yet.

 

 

**284 A.A.C.**

 

**Doran**

Aerys managed what no Targaryen before him could, he broke Dorne, not with fire and blood, not with conquest, he broke them by making them choose between two women that had loved each other dearly, and now Dorne was so divided not even peace would bring them back together again, house Dayne would forever be considered traitors for choosing their own daughter over their princess and joining the rebellion, even the houses that stayed neutral would carry the sting, and they would forever resent the houses that choose to stay loyal to a king that had wanted to see them all burn.

All because of house Targaryen, Aerys and his madness, Rhaegar and his stupidity, but in the end it was Varys who did the most damage. He had no proof of his guilt but he was the only one with the skills to get his hands in such information, he still failed to understand how he had done it, Doran had burned Ashara’s letter after reading it, she even went out of her way to get the letter sent to the water gardens instead of Sunspear.

Ultimately it didn’t matter how, Aerys knew about the letter and Elia burned for it.

But despite everything that happened, despite what Aerys the Mad did to Elia, it was Tywin Lannister who put the final nail in the coffin.

When he got Ashara’s letter he started making plans, no matter what happened they would end up on top, if they won he would get rid of Aerys as soon as possible, maybe Rhaegar too, and Elia would be queen, they would pay wergild to the Starks and the Arryns and make peace with the Daynes, the Baratheons and the Tullys, if they lost, Elia would come home safe and sound and Ashara could eventually persuade Robert, through her husband, to marry his heir to Rhaenys and make her queen to settle any legitimacy issues. Either way they had a queen, either way they won. Even after Elia’s murder he knew her children could still rise from the ashes, he would have made sure of that. 

He shouldn’t have underestimated Aerys madness, he should have put Tywin’s ambitions into consideration.

Now Jon Arryn was standing before him with tiny, gilded coffers full of bones, bargaining for peace, reminding them about the horrors of war and all its tragedies, never mind the fact that he was the one insisting on rewarding Tywin Lannister with a queen for the horrors he committed. He didn’t mention it, but he knew.

It was a good thing he had sent Oberyn to the Water Gardens, he didn’t want to imagine what he would do to the man.

\- We wished to return Elia’s remains too, but unfortunately, there weren’t any, wildfire you see, it consumes everything

\- I understand, I thank you for coming and bringing my nice and nephew to be burry properly among their kin – it was all empty pleasantries, but he went along with them, his mind was somewhere else, dealing with the guilt and the anger of all the things that he let happened with his inaction.

He should have gotten Elia and her children out of King’s Landing as soon as Aerys made his first threat, he should have sent someone there to deal with that madman, he should have sent someone to capture Rhaegar and get the girl home, he should have, he should have, he should have…

He should have put Elia and his people before his ambitions, but he didn’t and now his sister was dead and Dorne was broken.

-My wife Mellario would show you to your rooms my Lord

They left the great hall and Doran was left to his thoughts. He stood up and walked towards the little coffins, he opened them both, tiny bones of tiny children decorated in silks of yellow and orange, some of the bones were broken, Rhaenys’s ribs, Aegon’s skull. He closed them off and asked the castellan to take them away. 

He sat down again, a foul taste in his mouth, part of him was glad Elia died before she could see what was done to them.

He spent the rest of the day going over all the letters and accounts. He wanted to fix Dorne, Oberyn wanted to avenge his family and he had no idea how to do both, he needed to make new plans.

The Daynes were in the King’s Landing now to be rewarded and honoured. It would make the resentment grow and with it the separation between them.

There were still two Targaryens left in the world, maybe three soon enough for what he heard, but who knew for how long, Stannis Baratheon had already been tasked with capturing them, even so, he could not put his eggs in that basket, not anymore, Oberyn would have his head just by daring to mention the possibility to him. They had been betrayed by the Targaryens, there was no going back from that, “What are my options now?” he turned to look at the maester

– How old is Stannis Baratheon now? Do you know?

\- he must be twenty by now my Prince

\- Arianne is eight

\- It won’t really matter in a few years

Maybe there was a way, to fix what was broken, to get revenge, to make a queen

– Yes, he’ll do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, Rickard hasn't been paying taxes oops  
> And Doran is kind of shady 
> 
> Also, as you can see, from here on things would start deviating from plot more and more


	14. For Whom The Bells Toll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry for taking so long, I started my master's degree and the workload was very unforgiving, I literally spend my winter break making up for lost sleep, but things are getting easier now (or maybe I just got the right rhythm now) so hopefully I'll get to post weekly

**283 A.A.C.**

**Ned**

He walked through the hall and out of the gates, and kept on walking till he reached the ironwood doors of the Stark's last resting place. It all looked the same yet everything was different, for the first time ever the crypts felt unsettling, 

The descent was dark and cold, it had always been but it had felt like home, like a safe harbour once upon a time, now the dead were too close, too real, the faces staring back at him were too hard to look at. He avenged them but he gained nothing he wanted, no peace, no closure, just questions and regrets.

He stood before their graves, weathering the storm that was his mind, their memories tortured him.

He was angry, at his father for answering the King's call, at Brandon for being so reckless, so thoughtless, such an idiot, for knowing how mad Aerys was and going to King’s Landing anyway, for leaving them to deal with this mess on their own.  

It was easier to forgive him though, he knew what he did and why, as stupid as it was, he just wanted to save their sister. What had she wanted though? To run away from Robert, from them? Did he trick her? Did he lie? Did Rhaegar just lose his mind?

He wished he could face them both one last time, he wished Rhaegar had lived long enough to see what he had caused, he wished she had, he wished he could yell at her, hug her, hate her or forgive her and just be done with it. He wanted to understand, he wanted to stop being angry, he wanted to be angrier still.

It hunted him, the knowledge that he would never truly know what happened, so many pieces of the puzzle were missing, the only person that could answers all his questions was her and she was dead, all he knew for sure was that he hadn’t really known his sister as well as he thought.

But he needed to move pass it, otherwise it would eat him from the inside. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, not knowing when he closed them.

\- I need to let you go – he said, the stone faces couldn’t answer, they weren’t alive, but he was, and he couldn’t stay here with them - Goodbye 

He walked back out, towards the light, towards the living.

The North awaited.

 

……………………………………………

 

First thing first, he paid all the soldiers, healers and camp followers that hadn’t been paid yet, and just as he suspected the coffers took a big hit but it wasn’t as dreadful as he thought it would be, a good portion of the people, mostly the commoners were more than happy to be paid in food, wool, healing herbs and even permanent housing in Wintertown. It still left them in a bit of a tight situation but the new garden harvest was close enough that they took the risk.

As always, Lord Manderly showed himself to be of great assistance, helping distribute the goods accordingly.

Ned debated with himself for a while but eventually arrived at the conclusion that whatever his Lord Father did, he had to have help from Lord Manderly, it was him, after all, who send their taxes to King’s Landing.

He was careful on his approach, not wanting to offend the man, but he simply laughed and sat him down, along with Ben, Catelyn and Ashara, called for Maester Luwin and patiently explained it to them.

\- Well, it started with the oh so Good Queen Alyssane, I’m sure you know the story, she visited the Wall with her dragon, Silverwing, and was so impressed with the Night's Watch she convinced her husband Jaehaerys to double their land, extending it a further twenty-five leagues south. The villages that exist in the New Gift would pay their taxes in goods and labour to the Night's Watch, helping feed and provide food for the brothers. The Starks of Winterfell at the time were angered at being forced to surrender the territory of course, as they believed the Night's Watch would focus their attention beyond the Wall and would neglect the New Gift. Lord Stark's brother sought legal guidance from the Maesters of the Citadel to avoid the forced donation to no avail.

\- Our ancestors were right – chimed in Benjen – The Night's Watch had started to fall in decline since the Dragons came and conquer but the New Gift was the last nail in the coffin

\- You’re absolutely right my young Lord, the Night's Watch benefited greatly from being a well known neutral party in a Land of several Kingdoms constantly warring with each other, by the time Alyssanne landed in their gates they still had most of their numbers but not the resources, their Lord Commander was eager to receive the new land, thinking it would fix everything, you know how southerners are, they come and they think they know better – He let out a warm chuckle, amused at his own comment - They couldn’t properly protect the settlements in the New Gift so the people abandoned their homes and fled south, which led to the Night's Watch having even fewer resources than before, which led to even more attacks from wildings, which led to more people leaving, it was a never ending cycle.

\- What you probably haven’t thought about is that it didn’t just affect the New Gift, all the people living nearby started moving south, that’s how Sea Dragon Point was abandoned in the first place, the only places farther north that remained populated belonged to the Lords that either had some natural protection like the sea or the mountains or were powerful enough to deal with the constant onslaught of attacks, and even they suffered greatly, and the entirety of the North with them, within just two generations the North had lost a third of its territory and population without losing a single war.

\- What does that have to do with taxes? – inquired Ashara, always impatient to get to the point of things

\- I’m getting there my Lady – responded the round Lord, as affable as always – The Dance of Dragons is well known too, I don’t need to remind you, Cregan Stark was hand of the King for a day and put thing to rights, well, since he was already there and in a position to help he decided to alleviate the strain for the North, help it return to what it once was, so he reformed our tax laws, it was a very simple thing, only adding an extra line of writing on the parchment, and only for the North of course, so instead of paying taxes for our overall income, any coin used to build, rebuilt or improve any settlement throughout the North doesn’t need to be counted.

\- And Father never stopped building

\- Indeed, and I would advise you not to stop either

\- How? – argued Catelyn with a worried face - We were left with little funds and trade came almost to a halt because of the war, it would take some time to pick up again, we’ll have to stop at least for a while

\- The harvest will come soon, and without an army to feed and peasants to shelter we’ll have more food than we could ever consume, and we just learned that our people are perfectly willing to work for goods instead of money – Answered Luwin in his never ending wisdom

\- Not everyone will agree to work for food, it would restrict our options – spoke Catelyn again, but she was thoughtful now, the idea had much merit – Masters of their fields would want to be paid in coin, that leaves out glass gardens, the glassmakers would want silver

\- Roads – he said, first like a whisper then again more firmly – Roads! that is what we need, it took 3 fortnights just to get our armies to Winterfell, and it wasn’t even the whole army, the distances are long but lack of proper roads just made it worse, we need new ones but for now we can focus on the old ones that are almost unusable for lack of care

\- That would do wonders for trade too – Ashara exclaimed excitedly – we could move goods from coast to inland and back more swiftly

\- And if we only focus on the old ones for now, we won’t need a cartographer, just a master builder, maybe two, we can afford that much – finished Ben

It would be good for the North overall, it had to be, the war had set them back almost half the steps that they had moved forward. The population that had been steadily growing for the past 20 years found itself reduced once again, production of goods was relegated to a minor role and trade had been momentarily forgotten. He needed to fix it, his father’s legacy had to endure, Robb would get the North his father had always dreamed of.

They would start with roads and once their coffers filled again, they would build glass gardens in all villages and town throughout the North, and walls to protect them, the North would grow and it would get stronger.

 

**284 A.A.C.**

**Ashara**

The invitation to Robert’s wedding was unavoidable so she planned for it, Ned refused to go back south so Ashara and Benjen would go in his place. She had insisted but not because she wanted to go, Doran had sent her a letter, he wanted a marriage between Stannis and Arianne, Lord Arryn had agreed to take the matter to Robert but Doran suspected the man would advise the king to make a different offer, that would not do, or so the letter said. It was her job now to convince Robert.

She was wary, Doran was often overlooked but he was as much of a snake as Oberyn, there was a chance that all he wanted was to make peace with the new crown and to protect the interests of Dorne, there was also a chance that he wanted revenge.

She was starting to understand her brother Arthur a little bit better now, it was hard to stay loyal when you had more than one person to be loyal to.

They left Winterfell on the beginning of spring and made their way to White Harbour, their welcome was a bit over the top, or what could be considered over the top in the North, but then again, why not? The Manderly’s were quite happy with them now that the position as castellans of Sea Dragon Point was theirs once more.

They took a ship to King’s Landing and the winds were kind enough to make their trip a swift one. She wished it had not been so, she hated that place, now more than ever, and apparently, she wasn’t the only one.

Once upon a time Benjen would have been thrilled at the idea of visiting King’s Landing, now, with the knowledge of his family’s fate, the idea had no real appeal to him, the closer they got to the city the more sombre he became. The last year had made him much more sombre overall.

She considered his lack of excitement a good thing when it turned out that he hated the city, in his own words it was hot, humid and smelled like shit.

\- Why does it smell like shit? – he asked truly offended by the odour

-Too many people

-There is a lot of people in White Harbour and it smells nothing like this

\- too many disgusting people then – he pouted at her, unsatisfied with the answer, it was cute but she was nice enough not to tell him that – People here just throws their waste on the streets and let it pile up

\- If you do that in the North you’ll get arrested. And it’s such a waste, that’s what the brown beds are for.

They arrived at the Red Keep surrounded by Baratheon guards, and were welcomed by Robert himself, loud and exuberant like always, grumbling about the fact that Ned wasn’t with them.

-There is much to do in the North your grace - of course he did not listen, but what else was new? Robert marched at the beat of his own drum, everyone just had to follow.

They moved inside and dispite the fact that she probably knew the place better than he did, he showed them every corner of the castle, happy to have an excuse to avoid anything wedding related.

She took the opportunity to talk about Stannis. The sooner that got settle the least time she had to change her mind about it.

\- Jon wants Stannis to marry the Reach – he confessed uninterested

\- The Reach can’t oppose you Robert, you have five kingdoms on your side and the Tyrells barely have their own now, they got their position from the Dragons, the dragons are gone, in order to fully get The Reach you would need to make peace with almost every single major family individually. The Martells were as mistreated by the Targaryens as we were, better to just make peace with them and get all of Dorne on your side – she really, really hoped they were planning to be on his side - You already made Stannis Lord of Dragon Stone, name him prince and temporary heir and let him marry Arianne, if the Reach tries anything, they’ll be surrounded on all sides

\- fine, whatever, I’d rather not deal with the Reach anyway

And surely that was just too easy, not that she was complaining. Her conscience was though.

They spend the rest of the day drinking in the garden along with ser Barristan, their guard Rickard Castel and some Storm Lords Robert seemed fond of. It wasn’t even close to the first time she saw him drunk but somehow his merry drinking didn’t seem quite so merry anymore. She ignored it though, they had all gone through a lot, they needed time to heal.

They were in the middle of the ninth bottle, with most of Robert’s Lords already gone and Bejen practically unconscious over the table, when Jon Arryn came the fetch the King, and hard as he tried, he could not completely hind his displeasure at the news of Stannis young bride.

\- Stannis should marry someone old enough to give him heirs, Renly is almost the same age, more sociable as well, he would be a better match

“True enough” she thought “but he’s second in line, Renly would not be enough”

Luckily Robert was feeling stubborn, and drunk as he was he would not listen to reason.

-I made my wishes clear, the decision is final, there be no discussion about this.

So everything was settle, without a hitch or drama, it was quite the surprise, maybe they could go thru with the wedding in peace.

 

……………………………………………

 

And of course she spoke too soon.

King’s Landing had always been a nest of vipers, a new King wasn’t really going to change that. She could hear them all talking about poor crispy Elia, Elia who couldn’t keep a man by her side, despite coming from Dorne 'the land of the whores', about Lyanna the “adducted”, more like the desperate, better a Prince than a Lord. But somehow those were better than the dull, fragile, spineless versions some people seemed to choose for their portrayal.

She wanted to go home.

 

……………………………………………

 

The wedding was so magnificent that it almost made up for the fact that Cersei Lannister was even more unpleasant company than before. The obnoxious and petty little girl who used to look down on Elia was now obnoxious, petty and smug. Ashara had half a mind to poison her drink just to wipe that haughty look of her face but in the end reason won over her annoyance and she decided to simply leave the table and dance with Benjen instead.

Not that she had any other options for dancing partners, anyone she danced with would be named her paramour come morning by the gossiping crowds. She almost regretted being so cavalier about her conquests back when she was part of the court. Almost.

Bejen didn’t seem to mind though, or if he did, he was very good at pretending otherwise.

They talked while they danced, apparently Benjen thought Robert looked sad, she thought he looked angry, but it mattered little in the end, he was married now.

-Silence, Silaaaeence the lot of you, I have an announcement to make – came the bellowing voice of their gracious king – Where is my brother? get him over here! Oh! there he is, were you brooding in the corner? – and really, his lack of manners would seem rude on anyone else but Robert was granted the best gift the gods had ever given, pure, irresistible charm.

Stannis was named Prince, temporary heir and Lord of the Narrow Sea, and if his face was any indication, he was truly unhappy with the new titles, as if it had been meant as an insult, he probably thought it was, that man seemed ridiculously petty, honestly, he was probably the most unpleasant man she had ever met, never one to smile or even laugh and naught a kind word ever left his lips throughout the entirety on the day. But his complete an utter lack of charm was the least of his faults, no, it was the gal of him to get offended at absolutely everything everyone did or said all the fucking time when he himself was so difficult to deal with.

She remembered her Ned telling her how much he respected the man. She wondered now if he only talked about respect and nothing else because he didn’t like him either. She was starting to feel horribly guilty about setting him up with Arianne.

\- Ned always said he didn’t know how to interact with people – whispered Banjen in her ear – maybe he is thankful but doesn’t know how to show it?

It didn’t matter, they would return home soon, with some luck they would never have to return here again, and with even more luck she wouldn’t come to regret her part in Doran’s machinations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Brown beds: this are just composting beds for human waste, I was watching one of those history documentaries the other day and to my great surprise, it appears that composting shit was actually a thing peasants did in some regions during the middle ages. I'm not even sure why I found the fact so surprising though, it makes complete sense that someone at some point would have noticed that old shit was really good for crops.
> 
> On Stannis: Did Ashara's perception of him seem harsh? well, that's kind of what I was going for, I was rereading some chapters from COK and this idea got stuck in my head, Do you guys think that maybe Stannis is somewhere in the autism spectrum? just book Stannis though, Show Stannis is a completely different animal.  
> Hear me out, It just kind of makes sense, with how a lot of people described him in the books, and I don't mean his enemies, I mean the people that actually like him or at least respect him, the Maester, Davos, his parents, Ned, and the blacksmith from the night's watch. He doesn't understand humour or sarcasm, he's horrible at reading social cues, his overall social skills are just nonexistent, his very logical mind that has no room for flexibility or compromise and so on.  
> I know I'm probably reading too much into it but it would explain a lot about him.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok let me start by saying english is not my first language so if you find any grammar mistakes or if my writing of phrasing don't make sense please let me know so I can fix it

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [THE QUITE WOLF](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15373827) by [nayaksk308](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nayaksk308/pseuds/nayaksk308)




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